Bid to bar Teesta Setalvad talk at IISc; event held after faculty intervention

Bid to bar Teesta talk at IISc; event held after faculty intervention

The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) administration on Wednesday allegedly denied civil rights activist Teesta Setalvad entry into the institute where she was scheduled to deliver a talk on communal harmony and justice.

Following intervention from members of the faculty, she was allowed entry and the event was held on the campus, but at a different location, an hour behind schedule.

The talk was originally scheduled to be held at the Centre for Continuing Education (CCE). The organisers — student collective Break the Silence — said an email seeking permission was sent to authorities, including the registrar, a week ago. There was no official response.

Shairik Sengupta, one of the organisers, said he was called by the registrar for a meeting at 2 pm on Wednesday, three hours before the event. “We were told we cannot hold event at CCE. It was informed that there was no official response through mail because the director was not in office and request couldn’t be processed,” Sengupta, a doctoral student at IISc, said.

The organisers decided to host the talk in an informal setting, near the cafeteria. Sengupta said as he was accompanying Teesta into the institute, five guards intercepted them and said she could not enter the campus. Some of the faculty members intervened, told the guards that the activist was visiting as their guest and escorted her in.

“A few students and teachers from other colleges who wanted to attend were stopped at the gate and had to go back,” Sengupta said. The event, held between 6 pm and 8 pm, saw Teesta interact with students across political affiliations, organisers said.

IISc administrators recently set off a row by denying Break the Silence the permission to organise a discussion on the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, on June 28. The event was later converted into an informal interaction.

“Last time, there was formal correspondence denying permission. Now, it appears to be an attempt to keep the matter unofficial,” Sengupta said.