Under pressure from pro-Khalistani quarters, Harvard University deleted an article over Khalistani terrorism and how it was affecting Indo-Canadian relations. Following this, the university faced criticism for removing the article from The Harvard International Review, which is seen as a risky illustration of how sensible voices could be silenced by radical intimidation.
It was written by Indian student Zyna Dhillon, who was described as a staff writer and Associate Editor for the Review, though even that bio has now disappeared from its online presence. Dhillon is from Amritsar in Punjab.
“I think the HIR buckled down under pressure and the decision to remove the article was, in my opinion, a knee-jerk reaction,” Dhillon said, in a statement, according to the student publication Harvard Crimson.
The Harvard Crimson is the student newspaper at Harvard University.
The decision to pull out Dhillon’s article was taken by HIR editors-in-chief Sydney C Black and Elizabeth R Place. They said ‘A Thorn in the Maple’ was temporarily suspended but wouldn’t be restored until changes were made.
Dhillon, according to published statements, was averse to making any changes and stood her ground.
HIR editors came under tremendous pressure from pro-Khalistani, Sikh organisations and even the Sikh Chaplain at Harvard, Harpreet Singh. Singh is also the co-founder of the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights organisation in North America.
