OP Jindal University under fire for professor’s praise of Hamas and anti-Hindu comments
Achin Vanaik, the retired professor from Delhi University's Department of Political Science, can be seen glorifying suicide bombing and engaged in anti-Hindu and anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Haryana-based OP Jindal University finds itself caught up in a storm of controversy following allegations of propagating support for Hamas, the Gaza-based terror group, and ridiculing Hinduism during a lecture on the ongoing Israel-Palestine conflict.
Accusations and Responses
The fuss centers around comments made by Professor Achin Vanaik during a talk titled ‘History & Politics of the Palestinian Present’. It’s suggested that the professor, who previously headed the Department of Political Science at Delhi University, used inflammatory language against both Judaism and Hinduism. At the same time, he appeared to express solidarity with the civilian population of the war-stricken Gaza Strip. This incident took place during a lecture at OP Jindal University on November 1.
Several BJP leaders broadcast video clips of the professor’s lecture, requesting an explanation for the mockery of the Hindu culture. Suresh Nakhua, Mumbai BJP spokesperson, protested the event dedicated to Hamas, a recognized terrorist organization, at OP Jindal Global University. He added that such an event had sparked unease among some students and faculties due to potential disparagement towards Hindu culture, Hinduism, Hindutva, RSS, BJP & Indian Army.
The national vice president of BJP Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Abhivav Prakash, denounced the event as “shameful” and accused the university of “glorifying Hamas and suicide attacks while defaming Hindus and India.”
Professor Achin Vanaik’s Controversial Statements
During his lecture, Professor Vanaik drew comparisons between Zionism and Hinduism, stating, “Zionism is not anti-Muslim. It is anti-Palestine but happy to resort to existing Islamophobia. Hindutva is fundamentally and fundamentally anti-Muslim.”
In one of the video clips making rounds on social media, Professor Achin Vanaik appears to label Israeli action against Hamas as terrorism. He raises questions about the selective narrative where “‘killing our soldiers is considered terrorism but killing their soldiers isn’t”.
Moreover, the Professor took a controversial stance on the topic of suicide bombing. On record, he was heard saying, “Suicide bombing – it’s less about the intent to kill but more about the resolve to die.”
In addition to this, Vanaik challenged the widely accepted idea that Hindus were the first inhabitants of India. According to him, the conception of Hinduism being one of the oldest civilizations is fundamentally flawed. He argued that “the archaeological and scientific evidence shows that Vedic civilizations predated the emergence of Vedas by approximately 2000 years. Thus, the need to fervently talk about the Saraswati Valley Civilization.”
Several BJP leaders have shared videos of the professor’s contentious comments and voiced their demands for an explanation regarding the perceived disrespect of Hindu culture. BJP’s Vice President Abhivav Prakash referred to the lecture as a “shameful event” in which the university was “glorifying Hamas and suicide attacks while slandering Hindus and India”.
The OP Jindal University’s Response
Despite the escalating social media uproar, OP Jindal University has been largely quiet. Their spokesperson stated that the video clips causing the controversy were taken out of context.
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