Ban is undemocratic, unconstitutional, say APSC members
Members of the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC), banned by the IIT-Madras following an anonymous complaint that it created “hatred” against PM Narendra Modi and Hindus, said on Friday the group was formed to discuss socio-political issues and voice the concerns of oppressed communities.
HT spoke to two of the founding members of the group — Ramesh, a research scholar in physics and Abhinav Surya, a third-year mechanical engineering student.
The APSC was set up in April last year with a small number of 100 members, Ramesh and Surya explained. “We regularly hold discussions on contemporary sociopolitical issues like economic policies, labour laws, communalism, land acquisition ordinance, and ban on eating beef in Maharashtra and Haryana,” said Ramesh.
“We have initiated healthy discussions on issues we have felt were anti-people like the land acquisition policies of the NDA government,” said Surya.
On the ban on the APSC, Ramesh said they did not yet know the specific reason for the ban. Calling the ban unconstitutional and undemocratic, Surya said “We have not misused any privilege given to us by the institution—we have only tried holding a rational and progressive discussion about socioeconomic policies which impact the common man.”
Ramesh said: “Many higher education institutes in the country today have platforms where the religious right can propagate their view points... But seldom will you find a platform for talking about caste atrocities or fundamentalism. Neither will you find platforms for discussing the woes of the common man — the politics on the streets, the economics or the rise of communalism”.
Ramesh clarifies that it would be wrong to describe the APSC as a ‘Dalit body’. “We have members from different castes and we equivocally criticise the politics of all governments. We have held discussions criticising the economic policies of the previous UPA government and so are we doing on the Modi government. In most of our discussions the speakers we invite are not political figures but experts on the subject.
On accusations that the APSC has misused its privileges, Surya said: Our group obtained the necessary permissions to function in the campus when it was started last year, from the previous dean. So we don’t think it’s necessary to again take requisite permissions.
Denying allegations about the APSC receiving funds from outside the college, Ramesh said, “We used to collect some money from the IIT-M students who were participants and invested our own money. But we never sought any funding from any external body”.