People's Democracy

Intellectuals Appeal To Defend Jamia�s Secular Character

ACADEMICS, intellectuals, artists and other personalities have fully endorsed the decision taken by the vice chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia, Professor Mushirul Hasan to provide the university students who have been swept up in the terrorism dragnet, with a competent legal defence. �This decision has to be recognised as a sign of abiding commitment to the basic rule of natural justice: that a person is innocent until proven guilty. We applaud the vice chancellor and the entire academic community of the university for their calmness and courage in what is proving to be a testing and traumatic time�, they noted in a joint statement issued on September 25, 2008.

They appealed to all democratic and secular individuals and organisations to support all steps of the university administration and the faculty to maintain and strengthen the secular character of this premier institution.

They also condemned the vituperative attacks that have been launched against Professor Mushirul Hasan by spokesmen of the BJP and its affiliates.

The signatories included
 

Anil Chandra, Arjun Dev, Atluri Murali, Badri Raina, Biswamoy Pati, C P Chandrasekhar, Chanchal Chauhan, D. N. Jha, Girish Mishra, H. C. Satyayarthi, Indira Chandrasekhar, Iqtidar Alam, Irfan Habib, Jabri Mal Parekh, Jayati Ghosh, Lata Singh, Lima Kanungo, M.K.Raina, Madangopal Singh, Madhu Prasad, Manmohan, Mihir Bhattacharya, MMP Singh, N. Rajendran, Parthiv Shah, Prabhat Patnaik, R. L. Shukla, R. S. Sharma, Rajan Gurukul,   Rajen Prasad, Ram Rahman, Ramkrishna, Chatterjee  S Kalidas, Saeed Mirza, Shireen Musvi,  Sohail Hashmi, Suvira Jaiswal, Utsa Patnaik, V Ramakrishna V. N. Jha, Veer Munshi, Vivan Sundaram