New Delhi: A group of activists and academics have released a statement in solidarity with Rakesh Ranjan, who was summoned for questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 14.
Ranjan, who is an associate professor of economics at Shri Ram College of Commerce, is reportedly being investigated in the Bhima-Koregaon case with P.K. Vijayan, another Delhi University teacher, who was also summoned on August 14.
The statement pointed out that Ranjan, who had completed his BA from Delhi’s Ramjas College and pursued higher studies in JNU and completed MA and MPhil in Economics from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, had been felicitated with the Distinguished Teacher Award by the President of India in 2009.
The signatories held that Rajan was being “trapped” in a witch-hunt alongside a number of individuals who were “being persecuted on patently false charges related to the Bhima-Koregaon incident”.
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“The Union Government must stop the deliberate harassment of academics and activists, which is destroying our democracy, violating civil liberties and subverting the Constitutional order,” the statement said, demanding an end to the persecution of innocent persons.
The entire text of the statement has been reproduced below:
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Statement in solidarity with Rakesh Ranjan issued by Emeritus Professors, Faculty Members & Alumni of Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, JNU and Colleagues of Delhi University on August 15, 2020:
“Rakesh Ranjan, Assistant Professor, Delhi University, who is our friend and colleague, was summoned for questioning by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 14. According to media reports he is being investigated on the Bhima-Koregaon matter. P K Vijayan, another Delhi University teacher was also summoned on the same case.
We know Rakesh from his student days. After finishing his BA from Delhi’s Ramjas College, he pursued higher studies in JNU and completed MA and MPhil in Economics from the Centre for Economic Studies and Planning. While pursuing his PhD on the agrarian transformation of Bihar, Rakesh took up the job of teaching Economics in the Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi. He is an accomplished and popular teacher, always accessible to the students. Rakesh was felicitated with the Distinguished Teacher Award by the President of India in 2009. As close friends and colleagues of Rakesh we know that he has never been involved in any activity which can warrant an investigation by the NIA.
It is by now clear that a number of individuals are being persecuted on patently false charges related to the Bhima-Koregaon incident. What shocks us is that someone like Rakesh Ranjan is also being trapped in the same witch-hunt. Not only is he a serious academic and teacher, but also a most generous soul incapable of involvement in any violence. We strongly feel that this cruel persecution of innocent persons should immediately end. The Union Government must stop the deliberate harassment of academics and activists, which is destroying our democracy, violating civil liberties and subverting the Constitutional order. There should not be any further action by any investigating agency against Rakesh Ranjan in this matter.”
Signatories:
- Amit Bhaduri, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Anamitra Roychowdhury, Delhi University
- Arijit Hajra, CESP, 1997 Batch
- Arundhati Sarkar Bose, CESP, 1997 Batch
- Atulan Guha
- Avanindra Thakur, Jindal Global University
- Bodhisatwa Maity
- Debarshi Das, CESP, 1997 Batch
- Deepankar Basu, Umass, Amherst
- Dipa Sinha, Ambedkar University Delhi
- Gogol Mitra Thakur
- Himanshu, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Indranil Chowdhury, Delhi University
- Jayati Ghosh, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Malini Chakravarty, Economist, New Delhi
- Mausumi Das, Delhi University
- Mihir Pandey, Delhi University
- Nalini Nayak, Delhi University
- Poonam Srivastava
- Prabhat Patnaik, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Prasenjit Bose, CESP, 1997 Batch
- Praveen Jha, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Prithviraj Guha, Presidency University
- Priyanka Srivastava
- Pulin Nayak, Delhi University
- Rajendra Prasad Kundu, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Ravi Goel
- Rohit Azad, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Santanu Basu
- Saumyajit Bhattacharya, Delhi University
- Shantanu De Roy, TERI University
- Shipra Nigam, Consultant Economist, Delhi
- Smita Gupta, Economist and activist
- Soumya Dutta, South Asian University
- Sriparna Bandyopadhyay
- Subhanil Chowdhury, Institute of Development Studies Kolkata
- Sumangala Damodaran, Ambedkar University Delhi
- Sumit Sarkar, CESP, 1997 Batch
- Sunanda Sen, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Surajit Das, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Surajit Mazumdar, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Taposik Banerjee, Ambedkar University Delhi
- Utsa Patnaik, Jawaharlal Nehru University
- Uttaran Kundu, CESP, 1997 Batch
- Vijay, Delhi University
- Vijoo Krishnan, Ex-President, JNUSU
- Vipin Negi
