Indigenous Peoples’ Un-Freedoms and Our Academic Freedom: A Call for Solidarity
Left: Open source; Right: Newsclick
This joint statement has been endorsed by over 130 signatories, including international academics, activists and civil society organizations, as well as diasporic Indian academics and researchers, working with Adivasi (indigenous) communities in India.
The statement condemns the escalating drone attacks by security forces on India's Indigenous (Adivasi) people, particularly the recent bombings of Adivasi areas in Bastar. As scholars concerned about indigenous communities, we consider it our responsibility to draw attention to these attacks and advocate for justice for the people whose lives are intertwined with our research and scholarship.
Given that four drone attacks have occurred between 2020 and 2023, the statement serves as a preventative appeal against future drone bomb attacks, which not only violate the principles laid down in the Indian Constitution but also represent a disturbing extension of state-sanctioned terror that poses an imminent threat to the lives and existence of the Adivasi population with stripping away of their fundamental rights and dignity.
The signatories acknowledge that together, we have the power to make a significant impact and uphold the rights and dignity of every individual.
Click on the links below to read the full statement and see list of signatories: