Harvard University, a leading Ivy League institution and advocate for free speech, has succumbed to pressure from pro-Khalistani groups and taken down an article about Khalistani terrorism and its effect on Indo-Canadian relations.
Currently, the university is encountering criticism for retracting the article in The Harvard International Review, a decision seen as a troubling indication of how extremist intimidation may suppress rational perspectives.
The piece named ‘A Thorn in the Maple: How the Khalistan Issue is Influencing India-Canada Relations’ by Zyna Dhillon was released on February 15 in the Harvard International Review.
The piece, detailing the history of Khalistani terrorism in India, its growth in Canada, and its negative effect on Indo-Canada relations, was not published on February 22.
The Harvard International Review is a quarterly publication released by the Harvard International Relations Council at Harvard University.
The author, Zyna Dhillon, is a student at Harvard hailing from Amritsar, Punjab. She was characterized as a staff writer for the journal, but even that biography has oddly vanished from the Harvard International Review (HIR) website following the controversy.
“I believe the HIR crumbled under stress, and the choice to take down the article was, in my view, a reflexive response,” Dhillon stated in a comment, as reported by The Harvard Crimson.
The Harvard Crimson serves as the student publication at Harvard University.
The choice to withdraw Dhillon’s article was made by HIR’s editors-in-chief, Sydney C Black and Elizabeth R Place. They mentioned that ‘A Thorn in the Maple’ was on hold for the time being, but it wouldn’t be reinstated until modifications occurred.
Dhillon, as per released statements, resisted any alterations and maintained her position.
