New Delhi
The Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) administration on Sunday cancelled permission for a book discussion on Adivasi histories scheduled for August 10, citing non-disclosure of the “full facts” of the programme.
The proposed discussion was linked to Adivasi Diwas, observed on August 9 to mark the birth anniversary of tribal leader Birsa Munda. The JNU event was scheduled for the following day.
The event, centred on former JNU scholar Umar Khalid’s book Fractured Communities: Adivasi Histories and the Politics of Power, was scheduled to be held at the School of Social Sciences auditorium from 3 pm to 6 pm.
The administration said the permission had been granted by the Dean of the School of Social Sciences, who subsequently cancelled the booking of the SSS-1 auditorium.
“JNU is a democratic and decentralised institution. The permission was given by Dean, SSS who has taken action as well in cancelling the event,” the university said in a statement.
“The booking of the auditorium SSS-1 stands cancelled because of non-disclosure of the full facts about the program which is going to take place on 10th August 2026 from 3 pm to 6 pm,” it added.
According to documents released by JNU administration, the permission application had described the purpose of the event only as “Public Talk for Adivasi Divas (Book Discussion).” The organisers had not mentioned the name of the book or its author in the application.
The book, published in June this year, is based on Khalid’s doctoral research at JNU and examines the history of Adivasi communities in the Singhbhum region of present-day Jharkhand.
The cancellation has triggered a confrontation between the university administration and the JNU Students’ Union. The JNUSU has described the decision as “arbitrary” and accused the administration of using the booking issue as a pretext to stop an academic discussion.
The students’ union has also alleged that the decision reflects an “anti-Adivasi bias” and questioned what it described as differential treatment of other campus events.
“The JNU admin can welcome religious organisations such as ISKON, screen hate spewing films such as Kerala Story, Baxal: the Naxal Story, but is trying to stop the book discussion of a book that was submitted and passed as thesis by this very university,” said Gopika Babu, the vice president of JNU Students Union (JNUSU).
However, the JNUSU said the discussion will now be held in an open-air venue outside SSS-II. It called on students to participate despite the cancellation of the auditorium booking.
Khalid, a former JNU student and PhD scholar, has been in custody since September 2020 in connection with the Delhi riots conspiracy case. He is facing charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and remains an undertrial.
