Tamil Nadu's Manomaniam Sudaranar University in Tirunelveli has been surfaced with controversy that it stirred through its decision of removing the book written by Arundhati Roy from its syllabus after Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is the student wing of RSS, had demanded the varsity to remove the book from the syllabus. 

Arundhati Roy has written a book titled 'Walking with Comrades' and it was part of the syllabus for the past three years and the book has now been removed after ABVP protested against the book. The varsity has made the announcement on Wednesday, a week after the RSS student wing had moved its plea to remove the book from the syllabus, by citing that the book has objectionable content of covering Maoists. 

According to reports, Roy's book was part of the additional reading material for students studying in the third semester in MA English Literature at the varsity. The book has been under the commonwealth literature elective and it has been a part of the university's syllabus since 2017. It was published by Penguin Random House and in the book, Roy has covered never witnessed frontline of the ongoing battle between Maoists and the Indian government. 

Amid its presence for three years in the syllabus, the ABVP has recently addressed to the Vice-Chancellor of the University and alleged that the book encourages the armed revolutions of Maoists against the nation. In its letter, ABVP said that it's saddening that the book has been in the syllabus for the last three years and the book has directly imposed the ideas of Maoists and Naxals on the students for the past three years. 

ABVP claimed that the professors had also taught the anti-national ideas as lessons to the students. By citing that the book has seeded hatred towards the nation in the minds of students, ABVP claimed that many students had endured deep stress and demanded the Vice-Chancellor to remove the book from the syllabus. The ABVP urged the varsity to apologize for having the book in the syllabus and it further threatened that it would hold large-scale protests if the varsity fails to remove it from the syllabus. 

Following the petition from the ABVP, the Vice-Chancellor has installed a committee comprised of the Dean, the Chairman of the Board of Studies, and the Director of Academic Affairs to probe the petition from ABVP. Speaking to a news agency, the Vice-Chancellor said that the varsity had received complaints and the committee was formed and it has recommended that this book should be removed from the syllabus under the grounds that it has some objectionable content. 

The Vice-Chancellor said that the book has been replaced with another one written by Padma Shri-winning naturalist Krishnan and the replacement will come into effect immediately. However, the decision of removing the book from the syllabus had let the varsity caught with outrage and controversy with the state opposition leaders slamming the University for removing the book from the syllabus. DMK MP Kanimozhi took to Twitter and flayed the move. 

She said, "The pluralism of the society would be destroyed if the ruling power and politics decide what is art, what is literature, and what students should study". Another DMK MP Thamizhachi Thangapandian said that the varsity's decision of removing the book from the syllabus shows the authoritarianism of those in power. She said that social justice, plurality, and freedom of expression will become a question mark if the rulers decide what students should learn and further questioned what would be the state of the light of freedom if the art and literature get suppressed by the hands of power.

 

ஆட்சியதிகாரமும், அரசியலும் எது கலை, எது இலக்கியம் எதை மாணவர்கள் படிக்க வேண்டும் என்று முடிவு செய்வது ஒரு சமுதாயத்தின் பன்முகத்தன்மையை அழித்து விடும். pic.twitter.com/vjKKybSSAR

— Kanimozhi (கனிமொழி) (@KanimozhiDMK) November 12, 2020