Economist Das resigns as asst. Prof amidst attack on his research work

Sabyasachi Das, an assistant professor in the Ashoka University has resigned in the wake of fierce debate on his recent research paper on possible manipulation in 2019 polls in India.

Das’ paper ‘Democratic Backsliding in the World’s Largest Democracy’ offers analysis on ‘Possible Manipulation in 2019 Polls’, but it was widely criticized by the Bharatiya Janata Party leaders.

The Wire said ‘there was no official words yet on the resignation but at least two faculty members had confirmed it’.

Das ‘was attacked by BJP leaders and the university quickly distanced itself from his study’.

“Given the state of academic freedom in our country, it is not surprising that Ashoka University has issued a needless statement, expressing “dismay” and bending over backwards to distance itself from the paper”, Yogendra Yadav said.

He has further mentioned “we must remember that this paper is about probability. It can only tell us that something is fishy; it cannot catch the fish. This is no legal proof that establishes a fraud-trail between the culprit and the beneficiary. Nor does it cast aspersions on the entire outcome of 2019 elections.”