- JNU cancelled discussion on Umar Khalid's book, citing non-disclosure.
- Event on "Fractured Communities" was for Indigenous Peoples' Day.
- Booking initially approved, then revoked by university authorities.
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) has cancelled the booking for its auditorium for a discussion on former student Umar Khalid's book, citing "non-disclosure of the full facts" about the programme.
The event, scheduled for August 10 from 3 PM to 6 PM at the School of Social Sciences-I auditorium, was centred on Khalid's book, Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power, based on his 2018 PhD thesis submitted to JNU's Centre for Historical Studies.
Khalid has been in custody since September 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) in connection with the 2020 Delhi riots conspiracy case.
University Cites 'Non-Disclosure Of Full Facts'
The university on Sunday said that the auditorium booking had been revoked after authorities found that "full facts" about the programme had not been disclosed.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), the university stated, "JNU is a democratic and decentralised institution. The permission was given by the Dean, SSS, who has taken action as well in cancelling the event."
"The booking of the auditorium SSS-1 stands cancelled because of non-disclosure of the full facts about the programme which is going to take place on 10th August 2026 from 3 pm to 6 pm. All concerned to pay attention, please," the university added.
The post tagged the Prime Minister, Vice-President, Union Home Minister, External Affairs Minister, Finance Minister, and Education Minister.
Event Had Dean's Approval Before Cancellation
According to a poster circulated for the event, the discussion was being organised to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples and centred on Umar Khalid's recently published book. The speakers slated to participate in the discussion included academics Prof. Prabhu Mohapatra and Prof. Uma Chakravarti, writer Shuddhabrata Sengupta, activist Harsh Mander, and Khalid's partner, Banojyotsna Lahiri.
Official documents show that the event had gone through the formal approval process. A booking form submitted to the School of Social Sciences (SSS) stated the purpose as "Public Talk for Adivasi Diwas (Book Discussion)" and named SSS professor Avinash Kumar as the faculty representative. The booking was approved by the SSS Dean on August 7. The organisers had submitted a handwritten note requesting that the venue fee be waived as the event was being organised by students.
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However, in a notice dated August 9 issued by Joint Registrar MK Pachauri, the university informed Prof. Kumar that the auditorium booking had been cancelled.
The notice stated: "The booking of the Auditorium SSS-I stands cancelled because of non-disclosure of the full facts about the programme." Copies of the notice were marked to the SSS councillor, the JNU chief security officer, and the auditorium security staff.
(With Inputs From ANI)