Controversial lecture ‘How to spread Christianity in India’ at Madras University cancelled
Chennai, March 11 (IANS) A lecture titled ‘How to Spread Christianity in India’, scheduled for March 14 at the University of Madras, has been cancelled following protests from the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Hindu organisations, and widespread outrage on social media.
The event, part of the Sir S Subramania Ayyar Endowment Lecture 2024-2025, was to be delivered by K. Siva Kumar, Chief Engineer from Hyderabad. The announcement of the lecture by the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology sparked controversy, especially due to its topics: ‘How to Spread Christianity in India’ and ‘Why Need This Margam’ (Path).
As soon as the invitation for the event went viral, criticism poured in on social media, with many accusing the university of turning a centre of learning into a platform for religious propaganda.
BJP State Secretary S. G. Suryah strongly condemned the university authorities for organising the event. Facing mounting pressure, the University of Madras officially announced the cancellation of the lecture.
In a communication to the Raj Bhavan, University Registrar Prof. S. Elumalai clarified that the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology had not obtained prior approval to conduct the endowment lecture. “In view of this, we instructed the concerned individual to cancel the lecture with immediate effect,” he stated.
J. Soundararajan, Associate Professor and Head-in-Charge of the Department of Ancient History and Archaeology, also confirmed the cancellation, citing “administrative reasons.”
ABVP took to social media, claiming responsibility for halting the lecture, which it labelled as religious propaganda unfit for a state university.
“This demonstrates ABVP’s commitment to preventing the promotion of biased ideologies within universities,” the organisation posted on X.
Political commentator and editor of Thuglak Tamil Weekly, S. Gurumurthy, also criticised the event, arguing that it was an attempt to influence intellectual institutions. He called for further action beyond cancellation, demanding that those responsible be held accountable.
Many scholars and social media users slammed the university for approving an event that was perceived as religious proselytisation. Some questioned how such a lecture was connected to archaeology, while others accused evangelical groups of systematically attempting to influence educational institutions.
One social media user remarked, “How on earth are these topics related to archaeology? This is getting crazier by the day!” Others labelled the event “absurd,” “weird,” and “nonsensical.”
This is not the first time the University of Madras has faced backlash over similar issues. In 2020, a controversy erupted when the Department of Christian Studies, in collaboration with Elon University (USA), attempted to hold a conference titled ‘Containment, Collection, and Arrangement in South Asian Religion’. The conference topics, which included temple architecture and Hindu religious narratives, raised suspicions of an anti-Hindu agenda.
Advocate A. Aswathaman had commented at the time, “The range of topics listed made us suspect that it was going to be an anti-Hindu conference.”
With the latest controversy, concerns are once again being raised over religious influence in academic institutions and the potential misuse of university platforms for ideological promotion.
–IANS
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