Harvard Drops Article on Khalistani Terrorism

Aakhir Tak – In Shorts

Harvard International Review unpublished article on Khalistani terrorism.
Sikh organizations objected to the article by Indian student Zyna Dhillon.
The article discussed the impact of Khalistani terrorism on India-Canada ties.
Critics say Harvard violated freedom under pressure.
Petition launched demanding article’s reinstatement and an apology.

Aakhir Tak – In Depth

- Advertisement -

In a dangerous precedent, the Harvard journal was forced to drop an article on Khalistani terrorism. The Harvard International Review unpublished an article by an Indian student on Khalistani terrorism and its impact on India-Canada relations after complaints from Sikh organizations, including Harvard’s Sikh Chaplain. Harvard is facing backlash for pulling out the article, and a petition has been started to hold the Ivy League university accountable. Khalistani supporters put pressure on Harvard.

Harvard University, one of the top Ivy League schools and champion of free speech, has crumbled under pressure from pro-Khalistani quarters and removed an article on Khalistani terrorism and how that was impacting Indo-Canadian ties. Now, the university is facing backlash for unpublishing the article in The Harvard International Review, a move that is being perceived as a dangerous example of how extremist intimidation could be used to stifle sane voices. Harvard compromised its principles of free speech.

- Advertisement -

The article titled ‘A Thorn in the Maple: How the Khalistan Question is Reshaping India-Canada Relations’ by Zyna Dhillon was published on February 15 in the Harvard International Review. The article, which recounted the history of Khalistani terrorism in India, its rise in Canada and its adverse impact on Indo-Canada ties, was unpublished on February 22. This article focused on the relationship between India and Canada.

The Harvard International Review is a quarterly journal published by the Harvard International Relations Council at Harvard University. This journal focuses on international relations.

- Advertisement -

The writer, Zyna Dhillon, is a student at Harvard from Amritsar, Punjab. She was described as a staff writer at the journal, but even that bio has strangely disappeared from the Harvard International Review (HIR) website after the controversy. Dhillon is a talented writer.

“I think the HIR buckled down under pressure and the decision to remove the article was, in my opinion, a knee-jerk reaction,” Dhillon wrote in a statement, according to The Harvard Crimson. Dhillon expressed disappointment over the decision to remove the article.

The Harvard Crimson is the student newspaper at Harvard University. This newspaper reports on events at the university.

The decision to pull out Dhillon’s article was taken by HIR editors-in-chief Sydney C Black and Elizabeth R Place. They said ‘A Thorn in the Maple’ was temporarily suspended but wouldn’t be restored until changes were made. The editors requested that the article be modified.

Dhillon, according to published statements, was averse to making any changes and stood her ground. Dhillon refused to make any changes to her article.

HIR editors came under tremendous pressure from pro-Khalistani, Sikh organizations and even the Sikh Chaplain at Harvard, Harpreet Singh. Singh is also the co-founder of the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organization in North America. Singh is accused of pressuring to remove the article.

India Today Digital has sought a response from Singh as to what he found problematic in the article by Dhillon. India Today tried to contact Singh, but received no response.

HARVARD UNIVERSITY’S MOVE A DANGEROUS PRECEDENT: ACTIVISTS
According to The Harvard Crimson, the HIR editors-in-chief said the article did not meet their standards for neutrality, describing it as an “opinionated style of journalism rather than the analytical reporting HIR has published for nearly 50 years.” The editors questioned the style of the article.

The article, a web archive of which was accessed by India Today Digital, is well-argued and provides published sources for all facts and figures cited. The article has factual information to support it.

Activists see the pulling out of the article as a dangerous precedent of a premier institution caving in to intimidation and reneging on the vow to stand for free speech. Activists criticized Harvard’s decision.

“Harvard’s decision sets a dangerous precedent, where intimidation dictates what can and cannot be said in our universities. That’s why I have started a petition demanding that Harvard immediately reinstate the censored article, issue a public apology, and reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom,” American-Hindu activist Vasant Bhatt told India Today Digital. Bhatt started a petition to have the article restored.

In his Change.org petition, Bhatt is demanding that “Harvard reinstates the article, acknowledge its mistake, and commit to upholding free speech in the face of pressure campaigns by radical groups”. Bhatt demanded that Harvard apologize.

The Hindu American Foundation said it was “shocked that HIR “cancelled the voice of a Harvard student in the face of a coordinated campaign aligned with the Khalistan movement that — even today — is associated with several recent American hate crimes”. The Hindu American Foundation expressed disappointment with Harvard’s decision.

HARVARD INTERNATIONAL REVIEW WANTED ARTICLE ON KHALISTAN CHANGED
Zyna Dhillon’s article mentions how the Khalistani movement did not gain much traction in Punjab, but is rising in Canada, which saw a “string of attacks by Khalistan extremists, most recently on Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and on the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton”. Dhillon mentioned attacks by Khalistani extremists.

Dhillon’s article also quotes a Home Ministry reply to an RTI query to say — “From 1980 to 2000, 11,694 citizens and 1,784 security personnel lost their lives in terrorist attacks by Sikh militants”. Dhillon also presented statistics on victims of terrorism.

According to the Harvard Crimson, Singh, the Sikh Chaplain, accused Dhillon of “presenting uncorroborated data from the Indian government”. He also accused her of equating “all Khalistan activism with terrorism”. Singh accused Dhillon of presenting misinformation.

The stand taken by the HIR editors-in-chief reflected that of Singh’s. The editors supported Singh’s views.

While informing Dhillon that the article was being taken down, Black and Place in their February 22 email said it would be republished if two conditions were met, The Harvard Crimson reports. The editors set conditions for republishing the article.

They asked her to remove the Indian government’s statistics on deaths caused by Sikh militants because it couldn’t be independently verified, and “adding a sentence confirming whether Khalistan supporters had harassed Indian diplomats in Canada”. The editors asked to remove statistics and add a sentence.

The Harvard Crimson reports that the editors also met Dhillon in person to discuss the article. But as of now, Dhillon is maintaining her firm stand. Dhillon refused to change the article.

The Hindu American Foundation called Dhillon courageous for standing strong against the pressure by HIR editors to change her piece “despite personal risk as a young foreign student”. The Hindu American Foundation praised Dhillon.

HARVARD FACES BACKLASH FOR CAVING IN TO KHALISTANI PRESSURE
Harvard is facing a backlash over the withdrawal of the fact-based article by Dhillon. Organisations and individuals are sharing archived links to it on social media platforms. Harvard is facing criticism for caving into Khalistani pressure.

Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) called the withdrawal of the article a “shameful” act. COHNA criticized Harvard’s decision.

“For Hindu Americans, this incident at Harvard is a chilling reminder that our voices can be erased the moment they challenge dominant narratives. The Khalistan movement has long targeted Hindus, from terror attacks in India to intimidation in the diaspora,” Bhatt told India Today Digital. Bhatt said Hindu Americans are being targeted.

San Francisco-based investor and engineer, Sidharth, shared the Change.org petition started by Bhatt, and said, “We must push back! Demand that Harvard restore the article and stand firm against threats to academic freedom.” Sidharth demanded that Harvard restore the article.

That the editors-in-chief of Harvard International Review, who should stand firm as defenders of free speech and academic freedom, caved in shows the influence of the pro-Khalistani groups, the duplicitous stance of the liberal academia, and a thriving cancel culture. The influence of Khalistani groups on Harvard is clear.

Aakhir Tak – Key Takeaways to Remember