Speaking for the first time to the Indian media about the "deliberate and last-minute" downgrading of a lecture he gave at the Australia India Institute in May 2019 on violence by Hindu nationalist groups against Muslims, which was cited by 13 fellows of the Institute in their resignation letter, professor Thomas Blom Hansen says he believes this was done after a phone call was made by the Indian Consulate in Melbourne. Craig Jeffrey, who was the director of the Institute at the time, told him one day before the lecture: “I’ll have to change the status … it’s too controversial.”

In a 30-minute interview with Karan Thapar for The Wire, Hansen, who is the Reliance-Dhirubhai Ambani Professor of South Asian Studies and Professor of Anthropology at Stanford University in America, spoke in detail about what happened.

“I was invited to the University of Melbourne to give a series of lectures including one at Deakin University, which is next door … Craig Jeffrey invited me … these lectures were on keywords for India … I chose violence … I sent an abstract of the lecture in advance … one day before, Craig said he will have to change the status … he told me it’s too controversial,” he said.

Hansen said this was the result of a phone call which he believes was made by the Indian Consulate in Melbourne. At the time, the Indian ambassador was A.M. Gondane. Hansen said he was not clear if the phone call was made directly to Craig Jeffrey or to higher up authorities at the University of Melbourne.

He rebuked the claim made by Amitabh Mattoo, the founding director of the Institute, in an interview with The Wire on April 11, that the lecture was downgraded for security reasons. He said he had made a very similar lecture, a day or two earlier, at the University of Deakin. It was open to the public and there were no security concerns.

In fact, Hansen said it was very possible Indian Consulate officials had heard his lecture at Deakin University and that led to the phone call which forced Craig Jeffrey to downgrade a similar lecture at the Australia India Institute.

Hansen said Craig Jeffrey was visibly annoyed, disturbed and apologised profusely. He said he was himself disappointed but he did not express any reservations and accepted the downgrading.

Asked by The Wire to share some of the points he made in that lecture, on attacks on Muslims by Hindu nationalists groups, that might have embarrassed the Indian government and led to its downgrading, Hansen said he spoke about “the threat of violence and attack … used as political pressure and leverage”.

He said “there is a way the threat of violence is recognised and used to achieve certain goals”, adding the Hindu nationalist movement is one of “the main offenders”. He said, “In the last 5-10 years this has had an anti-minority angle.” He said it has become “an instrument to govern the country and silence their (the government or Hindu nationalist groups) critics”.

In the interview with The Wire, Hansen said Mattoo’s statement that academics like Craig Jeffrey “often lack spine” was “offensive and outrageous”.

Hansen also blamed the University of Melbourne for its failure to stand up for academic freedom and also for failing to support the Institute, which is part of the University. He said the main blame lies with the University authorities.

Asked if similar interference has happened in the US and whether he has been subjected to Hindutva trolls because of his critical work on Hindu nationalism, Hansen spoke about both. Please see the interview for the details he provided.

These are some of the highlights of points made by Thomas Blom Hansen in the interview with Karan Thapar. Please see the video for a complete understanding of the issues he raises.

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