On February 24, controversial professor of Rutgers University Audrey Truschke claimed that more than 75 ‘concerned scholars’ had signed an open letter expressing their support to her and other historians including Ananya Chakravarti and Rohan Chopra.
The letter claimed that there was hate campaign being driven against them by ‘right-wing social media networks’ and asked support from scholars. This comes in the light of the setback they received after the Delhi High Court passed an ad-interim order restraining Audrey Truschke, Ananya Chakravarti and Rohit Chopra from publishing defeamatory content alleging plagiarism against historian Vikram Sampath in relation to his works on Veer Savarkar.
The signatories of this letter purpotedly included alleged ‘historian’ Ramchandra Guha, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, rabid Islamic Fundamentalist Zakir Naik, Pratap Bhanu Mehta, etc.
However, many of those who Truschke claimed to be signatories have distanced themselves from the letter.
My attention has been drawn to this letter below. I had never seen it before, and contrary to what is claimed there, I have not signed it, neither as Ramachandra Guha nor as "Ram Guha". https://t.co/xJj1BIDx3C
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) February 27, 2022
My name has appeared in an online form 👇👇 that states that I am one of the signatories. Let me clarify: I hadn't seen it till the tweet of @vikramsampath and have nothing to do with it. I am just a student of @UnivofDelhi and nothing more.https://t.co/DKXcyxWNQ1
— Tathagat Kumar (@Tathagat_Kumar_) February 27, 2022
It has come to my notice that I am listed as a signatory to this letter. I did not receive the contents of this particular letter and never signed it. I also have institutional affiliations that would have been part of my signature. https://t.co/QisJFjv8EV
— Pratap Bhanu Mehta (@pbmehta) February 27, 2022
Tathagat Kumar is a student at Delhi University whose name was also included in the list of ’75 concerned scholars’.
Shiv Sena leader Priyanka Chaturvedi earlier clarified that her colleague in the Rajya Sabha Sanjay Raut also did not sign any such letter by Truschke.
Misrepresenting a politician @rautsanjay61 & surreptitiously adding his signature without his knowledge alongwith a bunch of rabid Islamists & Pakistani organizations is "academic integrity" indeed. All the eminent signatories need to see what they've signed up for!@priyankac19 https://t.co/kk4Wr5vTiY
— Dr. Vikram Sampath, FRHistS (@vikramsampath) February 27, 2022
Noted historian Vikram Sampath has been facing a volley of attacks from Truschke and her likes after he came out with his two-part magnum opus on freedom fighter Veer Savarkar.
The alleged ‘historians’ and leftist academicians have been accusing him of plagiarism regarding his 2017 essay and his two-volume biography of Vinayak Damodar Savarkar which has been proved false.
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