Committee of Concerned Scientists

An international non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.

An independent non-profit organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars dedicated to protecting the human rights and scientific freedom of our colleagues around the world.
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Annual Reports
    • Contact Information
    • History
    • Leadership
  • CCS Active Case Updates
  • Human Rights Resources
    • Human Rights Orgs
    • General HR Res
    • US Govt Agencies
  • Donations

Activist Objects to Execution of a Kashmiri Militant. Centre for Historical Studies at JNU Refuses Dissertation, Threatened By Nationalists with Gun and Accused of Sedition.

January 15, 2019

Umar Khalid, a well-known student activist and post-Grad student at the Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University was threatened after protesting the execution of a Kashmiri militant. The school refused to accept his Ph.D. submission. He was accused of sedition and threatened with a guy by local nationalists. CCS has written the Prime Minister requesting protection of Khalid and assurance that his rights to free expression and free association be upheld. Additionally, CCS has requested that he be allowed to further his studies and complete his Ph.D without further intimidation or harassment.

January 15, 2019

Narendra Modi
Prime Minister
South Block
Raisina Hill, New Delhi-110011
Fax: 01123017475
Email: connect@mygov.nic.in
Twitter: @narendramodi

Dear Prime Minister Modi:

The Committee of Concerned Scientists is an independent organization of scientists, physicians, engineers and scholars devoted to the protection and advancement of human rights and scientific freedom for colleagues all over the world.

We write to express our grave concern for the safety of Umar Khalid, a well-known Muslim student activist and post-graduate at the Centre for Historical Studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), who has faced threats and intimidation from Hindu nationalist vigilantes and, to a certain extent, local government officials and his own university.

After an event in February 2016 at which Umar Khalid and others protested the execution of a Kashmiri militant, the school, in July 2018, refused to accept his Ph.D. submission. He has been accused of “sedition” by local Delhi officials and commentators. Furthermore, in August, he was threatened with a gun by nationalists who have since been arrested after they openly bragged of their assault on a video that went viral. In December, it was reported that formal charges of “sedition”, relating to the February 2016 incident, would be filed soon.

We are concerned that Umar is under serious duress, and could soon be prosecuted, for his non-violent political activism. We write to encourage your government to fulfill its obligation to protect him from further violence and intimidation. Umar Khalid is a human rights defender, having engaged in peaceful activities in support of the rights of workers and women, transgender rights, and the rights of Muslims in India.

Umar Khalid’s actions should be respected and protected, not vilified and prosecuted. His basic human rights – to free expression and free association – must be upheld. We urge you to ensure that he is allowed to pursue his peaceful political activism, and his academic studies, without further intimidation or legal harassment.

Thank you for your attention to this serious matter, and we look forward to receiving your response.

Sincerely,
Joel L. Lebowitz, Paul H. Plotz, Walter Reich, Eugene M. Chudnovsky, Alexander Greer
Co-Chairs, Committee of Concerned Scientists

cc.:
Ambassador Navtej Sarna
Embassy of India
2107 Massachusetts Avenue. NW
Washington, DC 20008
Phone: 202 939 7000 | Fax: 202 265 4351
Email: amb.washington@mea.gov.in
Contact Form: https://goo.gl/wvDC5i
Twitter: @NavtejSarna @IndianEmbassyUS
Facebook: @IndiaInUSA

Filed Under: India Tagged With: free speech, Khalid, protest, threatened, Umar, Umar Khalid

Who We Are

Co-chairs

Joel L. Lebowitz, Rutgers University

Paul H. Plotz, M.D., Washington, DC

Walter Reich, George Washington University

Eugene Chudnovsky, Lehman College

Alexander Greer, Brooklyn College

Vice-chairs

Astronomy – Arno Penzias, New Enterprises Associates*

Biology – Max E. Gottesman, Columbia University

Chemistry – Zafra Lerman, MIMSAD Inc.

Computer Science – Rachelle Heller, The George Washington University

Computer Science – Jack Minker, University of Maryland, College Park

Engineering – Philip Sarachik, NYU Polytechnic School of Engineering

Mathematics – Simon Levin, Princeton University

Medical Sciences – J. Joseph Blum, Duke University

Honorary Board Members

Nancy Andrews, Duke University

David Baltimore, California Institute of Technology*

Alan J. Bard, University of Texas

Jacob Bigeleisen (deceased), SUNY, Stony Brook

Raoul Bott (deceased), Harvard University

Owen Chamberlain (deceased), University of California, Berkeley

Stanley Deser, Brandeis University

Edward Gerjuoy, University of Pittsburg

David Gross, (2004 Nobel Prize in Physics), Kavil Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara*

Pierre Hohenberg (deceased), New York University

Walter Kohn (deceased), University of California, Santa Barbara*

James Langer, University of California, Santa Barbara

Peter Lax, New York University

Louis Nirenberg, New York University

Marshall Nirenberg (deceased), National Institutes of Health*

Honorary Board Members

John C. Polanyi, University of Toronto*

Stuart Rice, University of Chicago

Sir Richard J. Roberts, (1993 Nobel Prize in Physiology & Medicine), New England Biolabs*

Myriam Sarachick, City College of New York

Harold Scheraga, Cornell University

Sylvan Schweber (deceased), Brandeis University

Maxine Singer, Carnegie Institution of Washington

Alfred I. Tauber, Boston University

Steven Weinberg, University of Texas, Austin*

Myrna Weissman, Columbia University

Rosalyn S. Yalow (deceased), Mount Sinai School of Medicine*

* Nobel laureate

Search Site

Generic selectors
Exact matches only
Search in title
Search in content
Search in posts
Search in pages
Filter by Categories
Additional Information
Angola
Annual Reports
Australia
Bahrain
Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Cameroon
CCS Board
CCS Cases
Chile
China
Colombia
Cuba
Egypt
Ethiopia
France
Germany
Good News
Greece
Highlights
History
Human Rights Resources
India
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Malaysia
Morocco
North America Issues
Pakistan
Pakistan
Palestinian Territories
Peru
Petitions
Poland
Press
Previous Highlights
Prominent Cases
Related Articles
Reports
Russia
Saudi Arabia
Spain
Sudan
Swaziland
Syria
Thailand
Turkey
Turkmenistan
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United Nations
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam

View Results in New Window...

Browse by Country

Archives

Join Us

Become a member of our humanitarian enterprise.

Sign up

Support CCS

Remember to register with AmazonSmiles as a donor to the Committee of Concerned Scientists. Then anytime you shop there CCS will receive a donation from Amazon. Since people spend a lot during this time of year it can benefit CCS greatly if you remember to do this. There is no additional cost to you.

FURTHER DIRECTIONS

Translate This Page

Click on the flags or use the menu below for a translation of this page.

[google-translator]

Press Enter to Search

Like us on Facebook

Committee of Concerned Scientists

c/o Alexandra R. Bender, Executive Director
P.O. Box 4525
Easton, PA 18043
Phone: (570) 994-2093
abender@concernedscientists.org

Copyright © 2023 • Concerned Sci Child Theme on Genesis Framework • WordPress • Log in