Following the recent cancellation of a talk by Achin Vanaik, a controversial pro-Hamas Professor-turned-activist, due to student protests, IIT Bombay is now facing another controversy. According to a report by Republic World on November 8th, a student from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has filed a police complaint alleging the extension of an invitation to another pro-Hamas activist for a talk at the institute.
According to the media report, a student named Omkar Supekar from IIT Bombay is both a witness and the complainant in this case. Supekar has filed a complaint against Professor Sharmishtha Saha, alleging that she invited Sudhanva Deshpande to conduct the lecture. Sudhanva Deshpande is known for his association with Jana Natya Manch and is considered a radical leftist.
The complaint states that during the talk, Deshpande expressed support for Hamas and terrorists. In light of this, the complainant is seeking action against him.
The lecture in question took place on November 6, coincidentally when the Vice President of India was also invited to a separate lecture at the institute.
According to the students’ allegations, Sudhanva was deliberately invited on a day when Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar’s lecture was already scheduled.
Supekar stated, “Prof Sharmishtha Saha organised a documentary screening and invited Sudhanva Deshpande as a guest speaker to discuss it. However, he began with a one-sided narrative, praising the actions of Palestinian militants. He even referred to one of them, Zakaria Zubeidi, as a legend. Additionally, he mentioned Ghassan Kanafani and advocated for the necessity of armed conflict, effectively endorsing violent struggle and armed rebellion.”
Reports indicate that Zakaria Zubeidi, whom Sudhanva praised as a ‘visionary,’ is associated with Al-Aqsa’s martyrs brigade, specialising in suicide bombings, and claimed responsibility for a terror attack in Israel in 2002.
According to a social media account, allegedly run by a group of IIT-B students called ‘IIT B for Bharat,’ Prof Sharmishtha Saha from the HSS Department invited radical leftist Sudhanv Deshpande to glorify Palestinian militants Zakaria Zubeidi and Ghassan Kanafani under the guise of a documentary when the Vice President of India visited IIT Bombay. The account also cautioned students against falling prey to what it referred to as an anti-Bharat narrative.
The account also stated that Prof. Saha from IIT Bombay extended an invitation to Sudhanva Deshpande in the name of the course ‘Performance Theory & Praxis’. Deshpande openly acknowledges meeting Palestinian militant Zakaria Zubeidi in 2015 and advocates for violence and armed rebellion. The account, purportedly managed by students of the institute, pointed out that Zubeidi’s al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the November 2002 terrorist attack in Bet She’an, resulting in the tragic deaths of six civilians.
@iitbombay Prof Sharmishtha Saha(Dept HSS)invited radical leftist Sudhanv Deshpande 2 eulogize Palestinian militants Zakaria Zubeidi, Ghassan Kanafani in the guise of the documentary when @VPIndia visited @iitbombay & cautioned students 2 not to fall prey 2 anti-Bharat narrative.… pic.twitter.com/a5HkgJqDdq
— IIT B for Bharat (@IITBforBharat) November 7, 2023
The post stated, “The documentary was utilised to bring Ultra Leftist Sudhanva Deshpande for discussions. Under the guise of the course (HS 835 Performance Theory & Praxis), he openly praised the terrorist activities of Zakaria Zubeidi and Ghassan Kanafani while conveniently overlooking the recent Hamas attack.”
@iitbombay Prof Sharmishtha Saha(Dept HSS)invited radical leftist Sudhanv Deshpande 2 eulogize Palestinian militants Zakaria Zubeidi, Ghassan Kanafani in the guise of the documentary when @VPIndia visited @iitbombay & cautioned students 2 not to fall prey 2 anti-Bharat narrative.… pic.twitter.com/a5HkgJqDdq
— IIT B for Bharat (@IITBforBharat) November 7, 2023
It’s worth noting that on November 7th, IIT Bombay announced the cancellation of a talk that was originally scheduled for Monday but was postponed to Tuesday. The proposed talk, which has now been cancelled, was supposed to be delivered by controversial Professor-turned-activist Achin Vanaik. Vanaik recently stirred controversy for his pro-Hamas and anti-Hindu statements while ostensibly giving a lecture on the ‘Israel-Palestine conflict and its history’.
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