New Delhi: A collective of academics and researchers from Northeast India and abroad has condemned the alleged harassment and intimidation of anthropologist Professor Dolly Kikon and sociologist Professor Sanjay Barbora by staff members of Nagaland House in RK Puram, New Delhi.
The Roots & Bridges Collective, comprising 91 academics, researchers and scholars, said the incident occurred on September 15 after Kikon and Barbora attended an event organised by the Naga Scholars Association (NSA) at Nagaland House. The event included a screening of Kikon’s documentary A Sacred Place followed by an interactive session with the filmmaker.
According to the collective, the two academics were subjected to rude behaviour, public humiliation and threats by staff members of Nagaland House during the event.
In an account included in the letter, Kikon said the manager objected to the event, describing it as a “nuisance” and asking her to leave the premises. She alleged that a receptionist subsequently slammed his desk and asked her to get out.
Kikon further alleged that when Barbora intervened, the receptionist spoke to him aggressively in Hindi and challenged him to a fight. The collective said the manager, identified in the letter as Ms Metha, subsequently sought paperwork and permission related to the event instead of de-escalating the situation.
The collective said the incident was particularly distressing given the academics’ long-standing engagement with students, scholars and communities in Northeast India. Kikon and Barbora are both associated with the Roots & Bridges Ethnographic Writing Workshop, which has supported doctoral students from the region for the past 13 years, according to the letter.
The letter also highlighted their recent academic and community engagements, including work on indigenous food systems, rural schools, peace dialogues and the repatriation of Naga ancestral human remains from the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford.
The Roots & Bridges Collective urged the Naga Scholars Association to seek a public apology from the staff members involved. It also questioned whether Nagaland House was an appropriate venue for events involving film screenings and academic discussions on Naga cultural heritage.
The collective said it was writing in solidarity with Kikon and Barbora and called for greater sensitivity in dealing with academics, students and other guests using the premises.
The letter was signed by 91 academics, researchers and scholars affiliated with institutions in India and abroad, including IITs, central universities and international universities.
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