Why can’t students debate UAPA at IISc?

There is no law that says that students of a science institute should not discuss the laws of the country or any matter of public interest. If there is a rule in an institute that bars such discussion, then that is against the law and the Constitution. The authorities of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, who sought to ban a discussion on the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by a student collective on the campus, have gone against the laws of the country.

Denial of permission to the students who wanted to take part in the discussion was a violation of their fundamental rights. The authorities have said the organisers did not have prior administrative permission, but the students have said that they had taken all necessary approvals. The authorities also said there were complaints from various quarters. They should reveal who made the complaints, what they were about, and why they were acted upon.

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The discussion was to be led by Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita who were arrested under the UAPA in 2020 and held in jail but were later released by the court. When the students were stopped from holding the discussion as planned, they held an informal interaction on the campus, but that was also sought to be stopped. The participants were photographed by the IISc security team. What was wrong about the meeting?

The UAPA is a draconian law which is often used to harass and punish dissenters and critics of the government and the ruling party. Students have the right to discuss it and the freedom to express their views on it, just as they have the right to discuss any other law, the decisions and actions of the government and political parties, the Manipur situation, world cup fixtures, climate change or Rahul Gandhi. 

No-one can also claim and insist that India’s premier science institute is not the venue for discussions on these topics. The question why science students should be discussing them is also wrong. Every student, whether of arts, humanities or science, is a citizen first, with all her rights. All campuses, from schools to top institutes, are debating grounds. Science students, researchers and academics have the right to comment on any issue.

Their lives and work cannot be separated from the environment in which they live. The IISc or any other top institute is not an island separated from the country’s society and politics. Over 500 scientists, academics, students, and others have condemned the IISc administration’s action. The action was in line with the culture of intolerance and repression in the country and the authorities unfortunately tried to replicate it on the campus.