Teachers' new lecture series at banned JNU protest venue

JNU teachers today began a new lecture series on "Democracy and Social Justice" at the "Freedom Square" in university campus in protest against the recent show-cause notices issued to faculty members for addressing student gatherings.
The varsity authorities have banned organisation of protests at the admin block since last month, which has seen multiple demonstration since the row over "anti-national" event last year.
First lecture in the series was delivered by Ramon Magsaysay award winner Bezwada Wilson on the "Crisis of democracy and the question of rights".
He was followed by Delhi University professor Ashwini Despande who spoke on "the new grammar of caste" and JNU professor Archana Prasad on "Adivasis & the politics of the Right".

The lecture series is being organised by the JNU Teachers Association (JNUTA).
The series titled "Democracy and Social Justice-Access and Equality" will last five days and has at least 14 speakers, including Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav, historian Sohail Hashmi, Anita Ghai, and YS Alone.

It will conclude on January 25 with release of book "What the Nation Really Needs to Know: JNU Nationalism Lectures", which is compilation of the first lecture series on nationalism following the arrest of students under sedition charges over an event during which "anti-national" slogans were allegedly raised.
The next series was on "Azadi: Different Meanings of Freedom".

Repeated notices have been issued to students and five teachers since the gherao of the administrative block in October to enforce a ban on protests in a 20-metre radius of any of the administrative or academic buildings on campus.
The university's move to send notices to teachers has been termed as an attack on free speech by JNUTA.
Nine students are also under suspension for allegedly "disrupting" an Academic Council (AC) meeting last month.