On May 9, 2025, Kerala University’s acting Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Mohanan Kunnummal, cancelled a seminar organized by the university’s Department of Tamil, alleging that one of the proposed presentations contained “anti-national” content.
The Tamil Department, which hosts regular academic seminars on a range of subjects, had organized the May 9th seminar to discuss an attack that took place in Pahalgam village in the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, when gunmen killed 26 tourists, and India’s military response. The attack prompted India to take military action against Pakistan. r. In the lead-up to the event, a PhD student in the department circulated to the department’s WhatsApp group an article titled “Pahalgam attack: Truths drowned in nationalist frenzy.” The article questioned the mainstream narratives about the attack, suggesting that they may have been politically-motivated and suggested that Indian groups, rather than Pakistani groups may have been responsible.
After the seminar’s plan came to the attention of Vice-Chancellor Kunnummal, he instructed that the seminar be cancelled, stating that it would be inappropriate to hold the event. The student and the Tamil Department both later issued formal apologies.
Scholars at Risk is concerned about the cancellation of an academic event, apparently based on political or ideological, rather than academic considerations. Higher education leaders should respect academic freedom by refraining from politically or ideologically motivated restrictions on academic activity. Limits on academic discussion and exchange, whether imposed by higher education leaders or state officers, undermine academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.indiatoday.in/india/kerala/story/vc-dr-mohanan-kunnummal-halts-kerala-university-seminar-on-pahalgam-terror-attack-triggers-controversy-faces-backlash-2724513-2025-05-14
https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/pahalgam-seminar-cancellation-sparks-political-storm-and-free-speech-debate-at-kerala-university/article69571666.ece
https://edinbox.com/newsviews/news/4648-kerala-university-under-fire-over-pahalgam-seminar-cancellation-sparks-free-speech-controversy