Revisiting Pratap Bhanu Mehta's Resignation As Ashoka University Faces Heat Over Electoral Manipulation Paper

Ashoka University has once again come under heat, triggering a political controversy following one of the recent research papers, which has been made public, by a faculty member alleging electoral manipulation in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that began PM Modi's second term. The election resulted in a landslide victory for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) which won 303 seats (37.36% of the vote), the highest vote share by a political party since the 1989 general elections. But the paper, ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’, authored by assistant professor of economics Sabyasachi Das, identified some “irregular patterns” in the 2019 election results.

The paper quickly generated a political storm as people from all walks of society started pointing out the lapses in electioneering. While many accused the faculty of ‘half-baked’ research, opposition leaders attacked the ruling government for following unfair means to retain power. 

Interestingly, the University that claims liberal credentials has disassociated it from the research and invited the wrath of academia. 

University’s take

In a social media post, it said, “Ashoka values research that is critically peer-reviewed and published in reputed journals. To the best of our knowledge, the paper in question has not yet completed a critical review process and has not been published in an academic journal. Social media activity or public activism by Ashoka faculty, students or staff in their individual capacity does not reflect the stand of the University.”

The university, in the past as well, has drawn heavy criticism for its silence when its faculty members have been pulled up by political stalwarts for their hard-hitting research and work. The administration has been accused of throwing their revered professors under the bus.

In 2021, the resignation of former Vice Chancellor and professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who has been critical of the ruling establishment in his writings and public appearances, has been the biggest example of such attitude. And at a time, when question arises over the university’s stance, it’s imperative to revisit the case of Bhanu’s resignation, who believed that he was a “political liability” for the institution.

Resignation of Professor Pratap Bhanu Mehta

A noted academician, political analyst, and consulting editor with an Indian news media, Mehta’s resignation as a professor on March 16, 2021, drew widespread criticism from students, academicians in India and abroad besides activists who raised eyebrows over the lack of protection of freedom of speech and pool of knowledge of people associated with the university.

During the time of resignation, the trustees of the university,  Pramath Raj Sinha and Ashish Dhawan reportedly told Mehta that "his intellectual interventions were something they could no longer protect.” The resignation also invited demands for the resignation of the next Vice Chancellor Malabika Sarkar.

During one of the protests, that followed Mehta’s resignation, one of the faculty members asked if the university could protect its professors and not throw them under the bus for their critical engagements. 

In his resignation letter, which was accessed by Indian Express, Mehta had written, “My public writing in support of a politics that tries to honour constitutional values of freedom and equal respect for all citizens, is perceived to carry risks for the university.” He further wrote a liberal university will require a “liberal political and social context to flourish”. He put his hope and believed that the university would be able to secure a safe environment.

He wrote, "Nietzsche once said that “no living for truth is possible in a university.” I hope that prophecy does not come true. But in light of the prevailing atmosphere, the Founders and the Administration will require renewed commitment to the values of Ashoka, and new courage to secure Ashoka’s freedom."

However, a report by Newslaundry in 2021, reveals that Mehta’s resignation followed a deeper politics on land acquisition that may hint at an underlying political condition. 

Referring to sources, the report said that Mehta’s resignation was endorsed by the founders of the university, who wanted to acquire a piece of land for the expansion of the campus. Even though the land was allotted to the university, the funding was increasingly becoming a problem.

A senior faculty member told Newslaundry that the “university’s efforts to acquire a new plot of land to expand the campus would get much smoother” with Mehta’s resignation.

Overwhelming solidarity also poured in from academicians abroad, who condemned the state of affairs inside the university. About 100 academicians in the United States, including the likes of Homi K Bhabha, wrote an open letter to the trustees, expressing solidarity with Mehta. They wrote, “We write in solidarity with Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and to reaffirm the importance of the values that he has always practiced. In political life, these are free argument, tolerance, and a democratic spirit of equal citizenship. In the university, they are free inquiry, candor, and a rigorous distinction between the demands of intellectual honesty and the pressure of politicians, funders, or ideological animus. These values come under assault whenever a scholar is punished for the content of public speech. When that speech is in defense of precisely these values, the assault is especially shameful.”

However, in response to his resignation, the faculty released a statement and said that they were “deeply troubled” by Mehta’s departure, which possibly was “a direct consequence of his role as a public intellectual and critic of the government.”

Bhanu not alone

Noted economist and the founding director of the new Ashoka Center for Economic Policy, Arun Subramaniam, too, resigned following the developments in the university that led to Mehta putting down in his papers.

In his letter to the university, he raised concern that “even Ashoka—with its private status and backing by private capital—can no longer provide a space for academic expression and freedom is ominously disturbing”.

He expressed that the resignation of his dear friend and a “ truly inspirational national figure”, Mehta, “devastated him”.  “I am acutely aware of the broader context in which Ashoka and its trustees have to operate, and have so far admired the University for having navigated it so well,” he wrote, as reported by the Indian Express.

He noted that the university’s commitment to fight for and sustain Ashoka’s vision has now been “open to question that makes it difficult” for him to be part of the educational institution.

Safe space or not?

Two years back, with two back-to-back resignations of senior professors and academicians in the university, an environment of fear soon engulfed the student community, who believed that the same could happen to students regarding their work and beliefs.

Speaking to Newsluandry, a student said, “We fear the impact this will have on the reputation of the university. We also feel like our protection has been taken away, and we have to start becoming more careful about what we say and write.”

Further, a report by the Quint quoted an aspiring student of Philosophy, Politics and Economics saying that the way Mehta’s resignation came, reflected the “illiberal treatment” of the university that is supposed to foster a safe environment for teaching liberal arts.

And now coming back to the development inside the university, two years later, one can only wonder whether history would repeat itself or faculty members, despite carrying out their research work would find a space that is committed to the traditional values of a “liberal university”.