- Over 400 Indian-origin students condemned undermining constitutional institutions.
- They urged resolving differences through constitutional debate, not protests.
- The statement invoked Ambedkar’s warning against abandoning constitutional methods.
More than 400 Indian-origin students, researchers and alumni associated with leading universities across 27 countries have signed a statement titled “Spare India from Anarchy”, condemning what they describe as attempts to undermine public confidence in India’s constitutional institutions and use street protests to delegitimise democratic processes.
The statement, circulated on Monday, includes signatories affiliated with institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, Princeton University, Harvard University, Yale University, Stanford University, Columbia University, the London School of Economics (LSE) and the National University of Singapore, IANS reported.
The signatories cautioned against attempts to subvert constitutional democracy in the name of defending it. They urged political and social groups to resolve differences through debate, discussion, dialogue and dissent within the framework of constitutional institutions.
“We urge all social and political forces to take cognisance of our distress and desires and resolve differences through debate, discussion, dialogue and dissent under the roof of constitutional institutions that our venerable founding fathers created for us. India needs to set an example for the democratic world, for all the right reasons. We hope wisdom will prevail,” the statement said.
‘Resolve Differences Through Constitutional Means’
The statement said Indian democracy had repeatedly demonstrated its resilience and that constitutional institutions had flourished with adequate checks and balances.
It alleged that a plan had been set in motion to sow doubts about Indian democracy by “weaponising sub-judice matters” and amplifying them through street protests involving forces that, according to the signatories, did not believe in constitutional governance.
The signatories said they were deeply concerned about the situation as people with a stake in India’s future who travel the world identifying themselves as Indians.
They also argued that democratic dissent must remain within constitutional boundaries, warning against efforts that could weaken public faith in democratic institutions.
Signatories Invoke Ambedkar’s Warning Against Anarchy
The statement invoked Dr BR Ambedkar, the architect of the Indian Constitution, and his warning against abandoning constitutional methods.
Quoting Ambedkar’s call to “hold fast to constitutional methods” and abandon the “bloody methods of revolution”, the signatories said anarchy was increasingly being treated as a preferred course of action, threatening the spirit of fraternity.
They stressed that constitutional methods, rather than street-level confrontation, should remain the means of resolving political and social disagreements.
Students From Oxford, Harvard, Stanford Among Signatories
The signatories include Surabhi Hodigere of Harvard University; Devansh Sharma and Samyukta Shrivatsa of Stanford University; Ashik Mayakonda of the University of Cambridge; and Nitish Rai Parwani, Ashish Gaurav, Shaoni Kar and Mukund Madhav Sharma of the University of Oxford.
Others include Niyati Yadav of the University of Manchester and Rajneesh Kumar Mishra of Yeungnam University in South Korea.
According to the statement, the signatories are based in or have studied across countries including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Norway, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, Israel, the UAE, Kazakhstan, Georgia and the Philippines.
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