IISER Pune removes 'Fractured communities' based on Umar Khalid thesis
India
IISER Pune has removed Fractured Communities, a book based on former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) scholar and activist Umar Khalid's doctoral thesis, from the library.
The move came after social media users questioned why a science institute included this kind of literature and raised concerns about public money being used for it.
IISER Pune explains book acquisitions
IISER Pune explained that books are usually added through member suggestions and committee checks, with over 50 books across disciplines each month.
The withdrawal was meant to avoid unrest, but some called it an overreaction: historian Ramachandra Guha, who wrote the foreword, described it as giving in to social media pressure and stressed the importance of protecting academic freedom on campus.