Hyderabad: 'Communitas,’ the University of Hyderabad's (UoH) student body of the political science department expressed solidarity with Prof. Kham Khan Suan Hausing, who has been summoned by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate, Imphal East, Manipur. The court issued the notice on a private criminal complaint accusing Prof. Hausing of making derogatory remarks against religious sites associated historically with the Meitei community.
The complainant alleged that the professor made false statements to defame the Meitei community, bringing more communal enmity amid the ongoing conflict.
Prof. Hausing, a scholar on northeast India, has been writing on the issues pertaining to the region for a long time and has written and spoken in great detail regarding the ongoing violence in Manipur and its historical roots.
"Various scholars have engaged with his commentary both in agreement and otherwise, as is the norm in academia. However charging him under various sections and accusing him of promoting enmity, defaming religious sentiments and engaging in criminal conspiracy is not only a serious threat to his academic freedom but also a threat to his physical security considering the volatile situation," the student body said in the statement and demanded the withdrawal of the charges against him, ensuring his safety and the protection of his academic freedom.
