Education under Hindutva Assault: The BJP-RSS Takeover of Universities in India

A dangerous plan is unfolding across India as the nation’s most respected universities, once known as centers of free thought, are being turned into tools for the state’s ideas. The recent resignation of Professor Ram Kumar Kakani, the Director of the Indian Institute of Management Raipur, is not just another departure. It is a clear sign of the Modi government’s constant attack on academic freedom. Under the tight control of the ruling BJP and its guide, the RSS, the very places meant for debate and critical thinking are being systematically taken apart. This organized campaign to crush dissent and enforce a single ideology shows a scary plan to reshape the Indian mind, which threatens the very heart of the country’s democracy.

A Pattern of Forced Resignations at Top Institutes

The resignations of top teachers from India’s best management institutes have become a shockingly common event. This is not a series of random incidents but a clear pattern of political cleanouts meant to remove any leader who resists government control.

♦ The Latest Victim at IIM Raipur: Professor Kakani became the third IIM director in five years to be pushed out after he spoke of a “shrinking professional space” and the destruction of the institute’s freedom.

♦ A History of Political Interference: His departure is similar to those of former IIM Calcutta directors Anju Seth in 2021 and Uttam Kumar Sarkar in 2023, who both left after fighting with politically chosen boards that interfered in their work.

The False Promise of Institutional Freedom

The Modi government has cleverly used legal changes, which were presented to the public as reforms for more freedom, as weapons to tighten its grip on academic institutions. These laws have turned independent directors into powerless puppets of New Delhi.

♦ Using Legal Reforms for Tighter Control: The IIM Act of 2017 was supposed to give more freedom but has actually allowed government chosen boards to give orders and overrule university leaders.

♦ Directors Left with No Real Power: A recent High Court decision confirmed that all real power belongs to the government controlled Board, not the Director. This officially marks the end of any real independence for these institutes.

India’s Falling Global Reputation

The Modi government’s war on its own universities has been noticed by the world. Many global reports have shown the serious and fast decline of academic freedom in India since the BJP took power in 2014.

♦ A Sharp Drop in International Rankings: India’s place in global lists like the Academic Freedom Index has fallen badly. International watchers describe the situation as a serious and planned destruction of intellectual liberty.

♦ A Climate of Fear and Monitoring: Reports from watchdog groups like Scholars at Risk have described the intense pressure on Indian universities, including thought control over what is taught and political meddling in the hiring of teachers.

The Fall of Ashoka University

The crisis at Ashoka University, once promoted as India’s best example of liberal arts education, is a scary warning that even private universities are not safe from the government’s campaign of fear.

♦ Punishment for Unpopular Research: Assistant Professor Sabyasachi Das was forced to resign in 2023 after his research paper suggested possible cheating in the 2019 election that helped the ruling BJP, which led to a fierce political attack.

♦ A Wave of Protest Resignations: The university’s shameful failure to support its professor led to protest resignations from other respected academics, including Pratap Bhanu Mehta and Arvind Subramanian, who warned that academic freedom was no longer safe.

State Violence as a Tool of Control

When pressure and fear tactics fail to stop dissent, the Modi government has repeatedly shown it is happy to use brutal state violence against its own students and teachers.

♦ The Brutal Police Attack on Jamia Millia Islamia: In December 2019, Delhi Police violently entered the Jamia campus during student protests, firing tear gas inside the university library and cruelly beating unarmed students.

♦ The Terror at Jawaharlal Nehru University: Just weeks later, in January 2020, a masked mob with ties to the ruling party’s student wing stormed the JNU campus, attacking students and teachers with rods while the police reportedly stood by and did nothing.

Controlling the Story by Capturing Media Schools

The government’s campaign for total control has also targeted the professional schools that train India’s future journalists. This ensures that critical voices are silenced before they can even reach the newsroom.

♦ Punishing a Critical Journalism Teacher: Senior journalist Amit Sengupta of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication was suddenly moved to a faraway campus in 2018 as a punishment for criticising government policies.

♦ Resisting Thought Control in Journalism: In his resignation letter, Sengupta spoke out against the “thought control within journalism education,” revealing the government’s dark efforts to control the media by controlling how journalists are trained.

The BJP-RSS Plan to Control Indian Minds

These events are not unconnected. They are part of a clear and organized strategy by the BJP and its master, the RSS, to completely take over India’s education system and force it to serve their political goals.

♦ A Systematic Strategy for Campus Takeover: The method is systematic and cruel: take over university boards, install loyal and obedient leaders, use rules as weapons, and publicly label any form of dissent as an act against the nation.

♦ An Environment that Punishes Free Thinking: This whole project is designed to change universities to reward blind obedience and punish any kind of critical thinking that dares to challenge the official government story.

Conclusion: Creating a Nation of Fearful Followers

The Modi government’s systematic destruction of academic freedom is much more than an attack on universities. It is a direct assault on the democratic future of India. By turning these vital places of debate into echo chambers for state propaganda, the government is creating a culture of fear and obedience that is poisonous to a free society. The forced resignations, the campus violence, and the climate of fear are all signs of a government that is terrified of being questioned. If this intellectual cleanup continues, India is in grave danger of losing its most precious asset: the free, critical, and independent mind of its people.