Several students, faculty and staff have advocated the right to dissent and free thinking while voicing their concern over the recent arrest of civil liberties activists and writers Sudha Bharadwaj, Gautam Navlakha, Vara Vara Rao, Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves.
The statement says, “We believe that democracy thrives when dissent is allowed, and not in an environment of fear and persecution, and that ‘dissent is the safety valve of democracy’ as stated by the Supreme Court. The rights set out in the Constitution should not be violated for any reason. Freedom of thought, speech and expression should apply to everybody, including and especially voices of dissent.” They also said that they have signed the statement in their personal capacities, and that the statement does not represent the institutional views of IIM Bangalore.
