Indian student slams Harvard University for barring pro-Palestine protesters in graduation speech
Over 1000 students staged walkout following speech in solidarity with barred students
Cambridge: In a dramatic turn of events during Harvard University's commencement ceremony, Shruthi Kumar, a graduating student from Nebraska, deviated from her prepared speech to sharply criticize the university for its actions against students protesting Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Kumar, an Indian American chosen to deliver the English commencement address for the undergraduate class, used her platform to highlight what she described as the university's intolerance towards freedom of speech and civil disobedience.
"As I stand here today, I must take a moment to recognize my peers—the 13 undergraduates in the class of 2024 who will not graduate today," Kumar stated, referring to the students who were barred from graduating due to their involvement in pro-Palestine protests. Despite a majority vote by the faculty of arts and sciences in favor of allowing these students to graduate, the Harvard Corporation, the university’s governing body, decided on Wednesday to prevent them from graduating.
According to the Harvard Crimson, the 13 students faced disciplinary action for their active participation in campus protests against Israel's actions in Gaza, which the protesters described as genocidal. This decision sparked significant backlash among the student body and faculty.
During her speech, Shruthi Kumar pulled out a piece of paper containing her off-script remarks, which she had hidden in her gown. "I am deeply disappointed by the intolerance for freedom of speech and the right to civil disobedience on campus," she declared, receiving widespread applause and a standing ovation from her peers.
She continued, "The students have spoken. The faculty have spoken. Harvard, do you hear us?"
Kumar also highlighted personal experiences of being targeted, stating, "In the fall, my name and identity, alongside other black and brown students at Harvard, were publicly targeted. For many of us, students of color, doxxing left our jobs uncertain, our safety uncertain, our well-being uncertain."
She called for solidarity, emphasizing the importance of empathy and support despite differences in personal experiences. "We are in a moment of intense division and disagreement in our community over the events in Gaza. I see pain, anxiety, and unrest across campus. But, it’s now in a moment like this that the power of not knowing becomes critical. Maybe, we don’t know what it’s like to be ethnically targeted. Maybe, we don’t know what it’s like to come face to face with violence and death. But, we don’t have to know. Solidarity is not dependent on what we know. Because, not knowing is an ethical stance," she said.
Following Kumar’s speech, over 1,000 Harvard University students staged a walkout in solidarity with the 13 undergraduates.
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'Unjust' war imposed on Iran should end: Omar
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Saturday said the "unjust" war imposed on the people of Iran should end and peace should prevail, asserting that the US and Israel do not get to decide the leadership of the country.
He said it is for the people of Iran to decide about their leadership.
"At the end of the day, what we want is peace. We want this unjust war that has been imposed on the people of Iran to stop. As I have said time and again, America and Israel don't get to decide who the leader of Iran is. Israel and the US don't get to decide who the Supreme Leader is," Abdullah told reporters here.
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The chief minister said Iran's assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was not just the leader of Iran, "he was an acknowledged religious leader for the entire Muslim Ummah".
"So, this should not be seen as a conflict with Iran; it has far wider implications," he added.
Abdullah welcomed the Indian ships being allowed to carry fuel through the Strait of Hormuz.
"Anything that allows us to keep our prices low is a good thing, whether that means buying oil from Russia or being able to transport our gas and fuel supplies through the strait, which otherwise is closed for everybody else. It is good for us," he said.
However, he added that while India will benefit from the move, "ultimately we will benefit when peace prevails. And we want this unjust war to end".
