Scholars at Risk flags severe restrictions on academic freedom in India under BJP rule
Report cites govt interference, curbs on faculty, student protests and Kashmir book bans
New York : Academic freedom in BJP-ruled India is “severely restricted” amid growing government involvement in higher education and restrictions on academic expression, student protests and campus events, according to a report by New York-based Scholars at Risk (SAR).
According to Kashmir Media Service, SAR’s “Free to Think 2026” report documented 382 attacks on higher education communities across 59 countries and territories between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026. The report examined violence, government interference and other measures that it said threatened academic freedom and university autonomy.
India was placed in the report’s “severely restricted” category. The report said the BJP government continued to use the University Grants Commission (UGC) as a “primary vehicle for state influence” over higher education. It also cited changes to the appointment of university vice-chancellors and the removal of the 10 per cent cap on non-permanent faculty as measures raising concerns over government influence and the increasing casualisation of academic labour.
Data from the Academic Freedom Index cited in the report showed India’s score falling from 0.38 in 2022 to 0.14 in 2025.
The report documented several cases involving restrictions on teaching, research, academic expression and publication. It noted that the administration in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) banned the sale, distribution and possession of 25 books by historians, scholars and journalists dealing with the territory’s sociopolitical history, including works on enforced disappearances and feminist resistance.
SAR also highlighted disciplinary action against faculty members by university administrations, which it said restricted academic discourse and dissent. South Asian University terminated Professor Snehashish Bhattacharya in September 2025 after he and other faculty members signed a letter expressing concern over the university’s handling of student protests. At the SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Professor Lora Santhakumar was dismissed after posting messages opposing calls for war and criticising civilian casualties resulting from Indian military action in Pakistan. Jamia Millia Islamia suspended Professor Virendra Balaji Shahre over an examination question asking students to “discuss the atrocities against Muslim minorities in India.”
The report also cited restrictions on academic events. It said Banaras Hindu University and Mumbai University cancelled lectures because of invited speakers’ criticism of the BJP-led government, while Delhi University cancelled a seminar titled “Land, Property and Democratic Rights”, citing “administrative reasons.”
Student protests were another major focus. SAR said students faced pressure from university authorities, police and rival student groups. At the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, a police complaint against students organising a memorial for scholar and activist G.N. Saibaba resulted in criminal charges. Jamia Millia Islamia issued show-cause notices to students demonstrating on the fifth anniversary of the 2019 police crackdown linked to protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act. At Delhi University, a temporary blanket ban on public meetings, rallies and demonstrations led to the cancellation of cultural festivals, press conferences and iftar gatherings.
The report further highlighted ideological tensions among student groups, saying clashes involving the right-wing Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and left-wing groups such as the All India Students Association (AISA) and the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) had turned some academic and cultural events into “political flashpoints.”
One incident cited by SAR occurred at the English and Foreign Languages University in October 2025, when ABVP members clashed with students protesting in solidarity with Palestine.
SAR also documented police intervention in student protests across India, including demonstrations concerning election delays, academic accreditation and sexual harassment cases. The report said students faced detention and other measures during such protests.
The report further documented cases involving students and activists over political expression. It said Delhi Police’s Special Cell abducted three activists from the Bhagat Singh Chhatra Ekta Manch in July 2025 and later abducted a philosophy student who edited a magazine critical of the Indian state.
“Free to Think” is an annual report by Scholars at Risk’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project, which tracks attacks on higher education communities and examines global trends affecting academic freedom.
