“My thirty years of academic life has been destroyed in five minutes. They asked me “why are you reading Mao”, “why are you reading Marx”, “why are you having the songs of Gaddar”and “why are you keeping the photos of Ambedkar and Phule instead of gods and goddesses”. They also asked me “why do you want to become an intellectual, why cant you be happy with the money you are getting?”. I am happy, but I have to read and teach.”
-Prof. Satyanarayana
Maharashtra and Telangana Police raided the residence of Prof. K. Satyanarayana, the Head of Cultural Studies department and the Dean of School of Inter-Disciplinary Studies in EFL University, Hyderabad. The raid was part of the larger raids and arrests of eminent scholars and activists across the country alleging connection with the protests at Bhim Koreagoan.
Prof. Satyanarayana was given no prior intimation regarding the raid and he along with his family was in effect imprisoned inside the house for the whole day. He was not allowed to come out of the house and talk to his colleagues and students who had gathered outside his residence.
Prof. Stayanarayana said that the police conducted the raid without citing any valid charge against him than the fact that he is the son-in-law of the prominent social activist and poet Vara Vara Rao. He also said that his thirty years of life and works have been destroyed in five minutes and he was humiliated.
The Police confiscated the laptops, hard discs, pendrives and all the academic materials from his house and blocked his phone and email.
Students and teaching and non-teaching faculties have condemned the illegal and arbitrary raid and called for protest.
”Professor K. Satyanarayana of the English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad is an abberation to the savarna notions of what a Dalit can be in academics. To become a noted intellectual and teacher in an institute known for its savarna standards is not an easy task. To convince students to critically look at one’s caste and community privileges is still unknown in many of our institutions. None of us could ever escape his witty and sharp criticisms within and outside the classroom. And, that’s precisely what scares the right wing. They don’t want to have more Satyanarayanas in our universities. They need a generation of boot-lickers, but they are not going to get it that easily. So, educate, organise, agitate! ” Reju George Mahabali posted on facebook
