One of India’s top universities, Delhi University, is reportedly planning to drop courses related to Islam, Pakistan and China from its MA Political Science program.
According to Indian media, courses such as Pakistan and the World, China’s Role in the Contemporary World, Islam and International Relations, Pakistan: State and Society, and Religious Nationalism and Political Violence are likely to be scrapped or replaced.
Faculty members are unhappy with this move, calling it a direct attack on academic freedom and a threat to critical understanding of global politics. Dr Monami Sinha, a member of the university’s Standing Committee, said the syllabus came under “significant scrutiny” during a recent review.
Delhi University Teachers’ Association (DUTA) Executive Council member Rudrashish Chakraborty warned that departments should not be forced to follow political orders, saying universities must remain spaces for debate.
The final decision will be taken by the department’s course committee, which will design a new syllabus if the current courses are dropped.
The move comes shortly after the Pahalgam attack. Following the incident, university officials were reportedly asked to remove what they called “unnecessary glorification” of Pakistan from the curriculum, according to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh.
