Edinburgh varsity to snap ties with Hyderabad University

Hyderabad: Dr Hugo Gorringe, senior lecturer of sociology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, has written an open letter to UoH vice-chancellor Prof. Appa Rao Podile saying that he and other members of the global community of scholars are reconsidering continuation of research links and ties with the university in view of its “high-handedness” with students.

Dr Gorringe, a faculty in the School of Social and Political Science, has slammed Prof. Appa Rao for using force to suppress the students’ voice.

“For a university to thrive, it requires a culture of open discussion, vibrant debate and tolerance of alternatives. All of these public virtues are currently being eroded on your campus. To try and win an argument by force is a clear admission of the weakness of your position,” said Dr Gorringe in the letter, which has now gone viral.

“We of the global scholarly community make an urgent appeal calling for an immediate halt to the violence unleashed against peacefully protesting students at the UoH. The heavy-handed and forceful repression of protest has no place in a democratic society, still less in a seat of knowledge and debate,” he said.

“In the face of such flagrant repression, we find ourselves compelled to ask whether we can any longer continue to sustain research links and ties with the UoH. Many of us have strong academic connections and affiliations to colleagues at the UoH and admire the work of the many scholars based there.”

Listen to the students, Hyderabad varsity V-C told
Slamming vice-chancellor Appa Rao Podile for using force to suppress the students’ voice, Dr Hugo Gorringe, senior lecturer of sociology from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in a letter to the UoH, said, “At present, the UoH in no way resembles an institution of higher education and erudition,” he added.

Dr Gorringe, a scholar in the area of social and political movements both in South India and Scotland, has appealed to Prof. Appa Rao to listen to the students instead of using the police to silence dissent.

Dr Gorringe, who was one of the many professors from across the world who had earlier written an open letter in January demanding justice after the death of Rohith Vemula, said:  “Rather than trying to silence dissent, the university management would be much better advised to engage with and listen to their student critics. The tragic death of Rohith Vemula shocked the world and should have resulted in institutional reforms and learning. Instead, the situation is being exacerbated.”