Prof. Srimati Basu Among Those Protesting Planned US Visit by Controversial Indian Statesman

March 2, 2005

March 2, 2005, Greencastle, Ind. - Srimati Basu, associate professor of sociology and anthropology at DePauw University, is among "some 40 Indian academicians teaching in American universities" who are protesting a planned U.S. visit by Narendra Modi. The chief executive of the Indian state of Gujarat, Modi is scheduled to address the annual convention of the Asian-American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) in Florida later this month. Dr. Basu and her fellow professors, along with several other groups, accuse Modi of complicity in the massacre of Muslim civilians and say he should be denied entry to the United States.

A story in India Today describes the controversy, and the letter which Basu and the other professors have sent to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "The protesting groups, branding Modi an 'egregious violator' of religious freedom, want him denied a visa in line with the U.S.’ International Religious Freedom Act of 1998... There has been no word yet on the subject from the State Department."

The newspaper says the 40 professors "have separately written to Rice, urging her to revoke Modi’s U.S. visa. The signatories include Arjun Appadurai, Provost of New York’s New School University, Anjali Arondekar of University of California, Santa Cruz, Srimati Basu of DePauw University, and Rajesh Bhaskaran of Cornell University."

Access the article online by clicking here. More information can be found in the Daily Times of Pakistan, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, and in this news release at Yahoo! News.

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