<p>A group of research scholars of IIT Kharagpur on Thursday claimed that a discussion on the issue of citizenship on the campus had to be called off, after permission for holding the programme was withdrawn.</p>.<p>A spokesperson of research body "Education Group' said, initially, they were given the permission to organise the programme at the IIT employees-run staff club within the campus on February 12.</p>.<p>However, they were informed by the club on Tuesday that it had been withdrawn for "some reasons".</p>.<p>"We were informally told that discussions on such a contentious issue cannot be held within the campus area as per the instructions from higher authorities of IIT Kharagpur," she said.</p>.<p>IIT Kharagpur officials did not wish to talk about it but a faculty, not willing to be named, said, it had nothing to do with the "pro-Centre" or "anti-Centre" policy of the premier educational institute.</p>.<p>"Our policy is not to allow any programme which may trigger tension, division and untoward incident within the campus.</p>.<p>"The researchers are free to organise the programme outside the campus," he said.</p>.<p>The spokesperson of the research body said, it would have been a general academic discourse on the issue of identity and citizenship without directly referring to the controversy involving the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.</p>.<p>"We had invited three speakers and none of them were politicians," she said.</p>.<p>Ranjit Sur, a rights activist who had been invited as a speaker, said, "This is a knee-jerk response from IIT Kharagpur which shows they are not willing to allow debate on contemporary issues on the campus." </p>
<p>A group of research scholars of IIT Kharagpur on Thursday claimed that a discussion on the issue of citizenship on the campus had to be called off, after permission for holding the programme was withdrawn.</p>.<p>A spokesperson of research body "Education Group' said, initially, they were given the permission to organise the programme at the IIT employees-run staff club within the campus on February 12.</p>.<p>However, they were informed by the club on Tuesday that it had been withdrawn for "some reasons".</p>.<p>"We were informally told that discussions on such a contentious issue cannot be held within the campus area as per the instructions from higher authorities of IIT Kharagpur," she said.</p>.<p>IIT Kharagpur officials did not wish to talk about it but a faculty, not willing to be named, said, it had nothing to do with the "pro-Centre" or "anti-Centre" policy of the premier educational institute.</p>.<p>"Our policy is not to allow any programme which may trigger tension, division and untoward incident within the campus.</p>.<p>"The researchers are free to organise the programme outside the campus," he said.</p>.<p>The spokesperson of the research body said, it would have been a general academic discourse on the issue of identity and citizenship without directly referring to the controversy involving the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, National Register of Citizens and the National Population Register.</p>.<p>"We had invited three speakers and none of them were politicians," she said.</p>.<p>Ranjit Sur, a rights activist who had been invited as a speaker, said, "This is a knee-jerk response from IIT Kharagpur which shows they are not willing to allow debate on contemporary issues on the campus." </p>