THE pernicious official circulars of  the ministry of home affairs (MHA), putting riders on the participation o f foreign scholars in seminars held on Indian soil and visits of Indian scholars abroad, are no aberrations resulting from pig-headed overzealous  bureaucrats who are out to please their political masters. They are part  and parcel of the educational package of the BJP government, and must be  seen in consonance with the take-over of research institutions and other  academic bodies and committees. They are part of the measures adopted by  the government in collaboration with its partners in the Sangh Parivar to stifle dissent, criticism, and forms of cultural and ideological express ion that threaten its ride to power. They are no different from the fascist attacks on freedom of expression and secular, democratic culture unleashed on intellectuals and the working class, minorities and 'foreigners'  by Hitler's regime. If anything, in case of the BJP"s way of handling ideological dissent, the resemblance to Nazi Germany is so stark that one  can almost anticipate the next move, and at the same time heave a sigh of relief that with us all is not yet lost.

Marked "most secret," the recent guidelines issued by the MHA (via OM No. 25022/40/97/F.IV) have made "political clearance" mandatory for holding international seminars and conferences. The language of the circulars, the particularities of reference points made to justify and explain them, and the criteria for their applicability tell their own story.

Indian universities and academic bodies have been told that foreign scholars "should not be generally considered to attend conferences of a political, semi-political, communal or religious nature."  In addition, universities organising conferences on subjects "related  to  human rights or sensitive technical subjects which can be utilised as a platform for any particular line of propaganda or where the subject matter is of a purely national or local character" should try and avoid inviting foreign academics. Where invitations are unavoidable, the MHA will vet  which scholars may come and which not (The Times of India, June 15 ).

After a hue and cry in the press, and editorials and news stories decrying the "paranoia," the MHA has decided to limit the applicability of the guidelines to scholars belonging to Sri Lanka, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh or Afghanistan. However, in their case, the prior clearance must be received from both the ministry of home affairs and ministry of external affairs, regardless of the subject of the conference. The prior clearance rider also applies to any conference proposed in areas covered under protected/restricted/inner-line regime.

Through these circulars the BJP government is trying to intervene in an otherwise even playing field, by monopolising what can be said on Indian culture and society by foreign academics in India and by Indian academics abroad. Though broader in intent and scope, these circulars are directly aimed at intimidating and tying down academics who have called the bluff of their so-called intellectual stalwarts abroad. Their allies --- like Professor Rajaram of the Aryan horse fame --- have be en exposed not merely for their intellectual shallowness and bias but also for manipulating and manufacturing evidence by two American scholars in the Frontline, and by Indian scholars when on tour of America. Th e Rajarams and the Elsts and the Gautiers who ruled the roost on the internet till a year ago, posing as the greatest authorities on India, along  with our home-grown Arun Shourie, are no doubt having a harder time having to manufacture 'new' evidence all the time!

In form, these circulars are against the spirit of SAARC and of India's foreign policy which emphasise cooperation and exchange of knowledge between neighbouring countries, and criticism of them has emphasised this aspect.

What these circulars mean in actual fact is that virtually no research can be carried out by any foreign scholar if the subject pertains to an area that challenges the Sangh Parivar's view on Indi an society and culture. Not only will the field travels be impossible, one will simply not be allowed into the country to voice his/her views on Indian soil. Similarly, permission will be denied to all Indian scholars receiving invitations from secular organisations of South Asians abroad, o r from foreign universities. One should not have any doubts on that score. Only last year the Indian government played a very active role in sabotaging an exhibition of secular Indian artists in Montreal (Canada) and  in engineering an attack on the presentations of Indian historians at the workshop on communal historiography, also in Canada.

These circulars not only reduce the democratic space for public expression, they explicitly give all discretion (in giving cl earance) to government agencies, particularly the home ministry, treating public expression as a matter of law and order. In the words of a legal  expert, "As it is supposed to be a secret document, there would be no  public knowledge of the procedure and no objective criteria of how the procedures and decisions are being made."

As per the new circular, even the SAARC women's group would not be able to meet, with or without clearance, should it decide  to discuss the impact of religious fundamentalism on women. Similarly, peace activists would not be able to call for peace and friendship among countries and people, unless the government intended them to meet at a part icular juncture. And so on.

Through these circulars the ministry of human resour ce development (MHRD) and the ministry of home affairs have insidiously collaborated to attack academic freedom in a way that infringes on the fundamental rights of Indian citizens. Clearance will be given or denied on  political grounds alone, even as they are given the form of technical dif ficulties.

While the said circulars were notified to all universities and academic institutions a few months ago, they came to public notice only incidentally and recently (after nine months from the date of i ssue), through academics who had had to face its consequences. This too is a telling comment on the government's intention and style of functioning.

It is not without significance either that these circulars emanated from the MHA and have quickly set the pace for resurrecting out of closets other such pernicious circulars. At the moment, the aut horities of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) --- the country's premier academic body for preparing textbooks and teachers for school education, and now at the core of the struggle for a secular school education and national curriculum --- are busy trying to   implement an old circular (rule 8(2) of the CSS (Conduct) Rules of 1964), no longer valid, which prohibits government servants from publishing books or contributing an article except with the prior permission of the government or the prescribed authority (The Times of India, Ju ly 8). The circular, issued by a deputy secretary, with "the approval of  the competent authority," asks all members of the staff to follow the rul es scrupulously. This despite the fact that a 1995 notification of the department of personnel and training (No. 11013/4/93) expressly stated that this sub-rule does not apply if the government servant publishes a book  or speaks in the public media in his official capacity. Sub-rule 3 of the same says that he/she must make it clear that the views expressed are his own and not of the government.

The real reasons for the current haste and zeal to p revent the NCERT staff from publishing their write-ups without censorship becomes clear from the circular itself. It states that it was occasioned by the fact that some members had published books in their names on the  policies, programmes, projects of the council/government without obtaining prior permission of the competent authority. Clearly, the institutions  revamped with pro-RSS men expect their staff to keep quite as they frame  and implement policies of the Sangh Parivar in the name of institutions run with public money, without proper discussion and in contravention of t he constitutional obligations of a secular education and curriculum. The  circular is nothing more than an instrument to stifle dissent and critici sm of the BJP government's educational policy, and to complement its take over of institutions by suppressing opinions hostile to it.

Seen collectively, these circulars are the first ope n challenge to academicians that they cannot speak or write what they ple ase without reference to government dictates. They are the first instrume nts of an authoritarian censorship which the BJP government is out to impose. It is this censorship which is being given a semblance of legality.  These circulars are designed to make those on the other side appear as ones who are out to break a code of accepted and normal behaviour. They see k to turn the breach of faith by the government into a breach of faith an d contract by intellectuals who are unfortunate enough to be working in t he government-funded institutions.

These circulars mark a shift in the strategy --- fro m one that had so far relied on the Sangh Parivar's storm-troopers to e ffect censorship on secular expression through street attacks, to one whe re all illegalities can be effected by the government itself. They must be seen as expressions of a government that sees itself not as coming to power but already in power and that is seeking to consolidate this power,  safe in its knowledge that it has the assured support from its NDA partners.

This curtailment of the freedom of expression and ce nsorship in the name of accountability, discipline and order, harks back  to the days of the emergency. But it must not be confused with those dark days --- dark as they were. The censorship and attack on academic freedo m by the BJP government has a different context; they are geared to the r ealisation of a 'Hindu Rashtra' that will adopt all the elements of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime --- lock, stock and barrel.