‘Limits Student Engagement’: DU faculty, alumni write to VC over sociology colloquium cancellation

Over 135 former and current faculty members, alumni, and researchers associated with the Department of Sociology have written to Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singh regarding the cancellation of the Research Colloquium scheduled for October 31, 2025.

The group noted that the list of speakers and topics had been publicly available since the start of the semester. The cancellation of Namita Wahi’s seminar two days before the event was described as occurring for unspecified “administrative reasons.”

The seminar, titled ‘Land, Property and Democratic Rights’, was part of the Department of Sociology’s Friday Research Colloquium series at the Delhi School of Economics. Wahi, a senior fellow at the Centre for Policy Research, was scheduled to address constitutional changes and judicial interpretations of the right to property in India.

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Full letter on Sociology Colloquium Cancellation

The letter emphasised that the abrupt cancellation limits opportunities for student engagement and research exposure. The decision to cancel the event was communicated via a WhatsApp message from DU Registrar Vikas Gupta to the head of the Sociology department. The full letter is reproduced below:

As former faculty and students of the Department of Sociology, Delhi University, and as its well wishers, we are writing to register our dismay and disquiet at the cancellation of the 31st October 2025 Friday Research Colloquium.

The list of speakers and topics of the Research Colloquium was in the public domain from the beginning of the semester. It is therefore puzzling that Dr Namita Wahi’s seminar should be cancelled only two days before the event for unspecified “administrative reasons.”

Dr Wahi holds a doctorate from Harvard Law School and her paper on ‘Land, Property, and Democratic Rights’ addresses key issues in the economic and political sociology of India. The seminar would have enabled students to engage directly with a distinguished scholar and discuss important concepts and processes. Denying them this valuable opportunity for training in research is a loss not only to the department, but to the university as a whole.

Delhi University has a stellar reputation for teaching and research of which we are all justifiably proud. That reputation has been achieved by nurturing institutions like the Friday Research Colloquium which has been held without fail for more than 60 years. The wide-ranging topics, speakers, and discussions at the Colloquium have exposed students to the best of their discipline in India and the world. They have helped students develop the skills and the confidence to produce and defend original and significant research.

As a computer scientist, you will appreciate that a sociologist cannot decide the speaker series for the Computer Science department. Similarly, the choice of speakers and topics for the Sociology department must rest with its faculty. Only then can specialised, high-quality research flourish.

As Vice-Chancellor, we look to you to uphold the highest standards of teaching and research for our university. This is best done by enabling the Research Colloquium in its engagement with the full range of academic work. Having to seek permission for weekly events, for this department and for others, is impractical and adds to your administrative load. The faculty of the Sociology department have always acted responsibly in the conduct of their duties and you must trust in your colleagues’ good sense and judgement. We urge you to consider these important points and support the Sociology department in continuing its excellent work.