IIT Bombay faculty forum condemns misinformation, threats against colleague accused of backing Hamas

The faculty forum of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on Tuesday issued a statement supporting a professor who has been receiving threats on social media and phone calls for allegedly backing Palestinian militant group Hamas.

This came after a group of students filed a complaint against the professor, Sharmistha Saha, and guest lecturer Sudhanva Deshpande for allegedly glorifying the militant group, reported India Today.

The allegations pertain to the screening of a documentary film titled Arna’s Children as part of an ongoing postgraduate course on November 6. Deshpande, a theatre director and actor, was invited to introduce the relevance of the film.

According to the faculty forum, Deshpande has worked with The Freedom Theatre, which is the focus of the film. The Freedom Theatre was founded by two theater personalities and is situated in Jenin, West Bank.

In its statement, the faculty forum said it is distressed by threats to Saha and attempts to tarnish her reputation. “The allegations made in social media about her supporting Hamas or terrorists are based on misinformation and falsehood,” it said. “The faculty forum of IIT Bombay firmly expresses its support to our colleague.”

The forum said that a student, who was not a part of the class, started recording the lecture session on his phone. “The...

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