[Reader-list] Restrictions on Foreign Scholars

[Shekhar Krishnan]

   Wednesday, June 20, 2001


   India Places Restrictions on Visits by Foreign Scholars in 4
   Fields

   By MARTHA ANN OVERLAND



   Academic leaders in India are protesting a government rule,
   revealed Friday, that requires many visiting foreign scholars
   to obtain official permission before they can be invited to
   participate in seminars and conferences in India.

   The government directive requests that universities and
   academic bodies avoid extending invitations to foreigners if a
   conference relates to politics, human rights, communalism, or
   religion. If a foreign scholar's presence is absolutely
   necessary, he or she must first be vetted by the Ministry of
   Home Affairs, which deals with domestic security.

   In addition, any academic visiting from Pakistan, Bangladesh,
   China, Sri Lanka, or  Afghanistan must get permission to
   attend a conference, regardless of the subject matter. India
   has had long-running border disputes with Bangladesh and
   China, and has twice gone to war with Pakistan. The government
   fears terrorist threats from factions operating inside Sri
   Lanka and Afghanistan.

   "This is not against academics per se, but foreigners speaking
   on various subjects," said Dinanath Shenoy, the under
   secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He said the
   academics were overreacting to the article in Friday's issue
   of The Times of India, which revealed that the government had
   adopted the policy in September, and started circulating it to
   university officials in recent months. The policy was largely
   unknown until Friday.

   "We have surveyed 500 subjects under the sun," and only these
   few must be cleared by the home ministry, Mr. Shenoy said.
   "This is because we have a secular democracy and we don't want
   communal and inter-religious flashes to take place."

   After the rules governing visiting scholars were made public,
   the Delhi University Teacher's Association filed a complaint
   with the government. "This is totally uncalled for," said
   Shyram S. Rathi, the association's president. "There should be
   no restriction on academics, irrespective of the area. This
   amounts to the suppression of the freedom of expression."

   Mr. Rathi is also concerned that conference organizers,
   fearing repercussions, might decide not to invite scholars who
   are known for their unorthodox opinions.  "This will make
   people think twice about inviting scholars to India," Mr.
   Rathi said. "Not just in these areas but in any area, because
   any ideological interaction or comment made at a seminar could
   be interpreted as political."


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Copyright 2001 by The Chronicle of Higher Education
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Shekhar Krishnan
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