CAMPUS CRACKDOWN

The increasing attacks on higher education institutions and universities reflect a deeper malaise within the ruling classes. President Donald Trump's criticisms of American universities and attacks on universities such as Columbia and Harvard, along with the Indian government's actions targeting institutions like Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jadavpur University, are notable examples of growing threats faced by centers of learning and inquiry. These examples are not limited to the US and India; universities across Europe and other regions are facing similar threats from ruling elites. These threats extend beyond funding cuts, political intimidation, bureaucratic harassment, government and legal pressure. Students, teachers, and researchers are increasingly facing physical dangernot only to their lives and livelihood but also their passionate commitment to the production and dissemination of knowledge.

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The Education Under Attack 2022 report, published by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack, revealed that approximately 6,000 attacks on educational institutions occurred in 2022 and 2023representing nearly 20% increase compared to the previous two years. More than 10,000 students, teachers, and academics were killed, injured, or killed in these incidents, many of which took place in regions affected by wars and armed conflicts.

Universities and institutions of higher education have traditionally served as spaces for emancipatory, independent, and critical thinking-forms of thought that inherently question and resist hegemonic authority and status quo.