Harvard Journal Compelled to Withdraw Article on Khalistani Terrorism in Alarming Precedent

Harvard University, renowned as a leading Ivy League institution and a proponent of free speech, has succumbed to pressure from pro-Khalistani groups, removing an article on Khalistani terrorism and its impact on Indo-Canadian relations. This decision to unpublish the piece from The Harvard International Review has sparked backlash, with critics viewing it as a troubling example of how extremist intimidation can suppress rational discourse.

The article, titled "A Thorn in the Maple: How the Khalistan Question is Reshaping India-Canada Relations" by Zyna Dhillon, was originally published on February 15 in The Harvard International Review. It explored the history of Khalistani terrorism in India, its growing presence in Canada, and its negative effects on India-Canada relations. However, the article was removed on February 22.

Khalistani supporters gather in front of the Consulate General of India in Toronto, Ontario, in this October 2024 photo. (Photo: Getty Images)

The Harvard International Review is a quarterly journal published by the Harvard International Relations Council at Harvard University.

Zyna Dhillon, the article’s author and a Harvard student from Amritsar, Punjab, was listed as a staff writer for the journal. However, following the controversy, even her author bio has mysteriously vanished from the Harvard International Review website.

“I think the HIR buckled down under pressure and the decision to remove the article was, in my opinion, a knee-jerk reaction,” according to The Harvard Crimson, Dhillon stated in a written statement.

The Harvard Crimson serves as Harvard University's student newspaper.

HIR editors-in-chief, Sydney C. Black and Elizabeth R. Place, made the decision to withdraw Dhillon's article. They stated that A Thorn in the Maple was temporarily suspended and would not be reinstated unless modifications were made.

According to published reports, Dhillon was unwilling to make any alterations and firmly upheld her stance.

As reported by The Harvard Crimson, HIR editors faced immense pressure from pro-Khalistani Sikh organizations and even Harvard’s Sikh Chaplain, Harpreet Singh. Singh, who is also a co-founder of the Sikh Coalition—the largest Sikh civil rights organization in North America—was among those advocating for the article’s removal.

In response to a query from India Today Digital, Singh stated that he "never commented on or wrote about this article." "Harpreet Singh is a very common name, and it must be someone else who may have complained," Singh added.

Singh stated that Harvard's Crimson, which initially reported the story, is also making this correction.

Harpreet Singh's name and his reference to authoring a four-page complaint are still included in The Crimson Harvard report.

Activists Warn: Harvard University's Decision Sets a Risky Precedent

According to The Harvard Crimson, the editors-in-chief of HIR stated that the article failed to meet their neutrality standards, characterizing it as “opinionated style of journalism rather than the analytical reporting HIR has published for nearly 50 years.”

The article, a web archive of which was reviewed by India Today Digital, presents a well-argued perspective and cites published sources for all referenced facts and figures.

Activists view the article's removal as a troubling precedent, suggesting that a prestigious institution has succumbed to pressure and compromised its commitment to free speech.

"Harvard’s decision sets a dangerous precedent, where intimidation dictates what can and cannot be said in our universities. That’s why I have started a petition demanding that Harvard immediately reinstate the censored article, issue a public apology, and reaffirm its commitment to academic freedom," Hindu-American activist Vasant Bhatt stated to India Today Digital.

In his petition on Change.org, Bhatt is calling for Harvard to "Harvard reinstates the article, acknowledge its mistake, and commit to upholding free speech in the face of pressure campaigns by radical groups".

The Hindu American Foundation expressed being "shocked" by HIR’s decision to "cancelled the voice of a Harvard student in the face of a coordinated campaign aligned with the Khalistan movement that -- even today -- is associated with several recent American hate crimes".

Harvard International Review Requested Changes to Khalistan Article

Zyna Dhillon's article discusses how the Khalistani movement struggled to gain significant support in Punjab but is gaining momentum in Canada, where there has been a "string of attacks by Khalistan extremists, most recently on Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and on the Hindu Sabha Temple in Brampton".

Dhillon's article also cites a Home Ministry response to an RTI query, stating, "From 1980 to 2000, 11,694 citizens and 1,784 security personnel lost their lives in terrorist attacks by Sikh militants".

According to The Harvard Crimson, Singh, the Sikh Chaplain, alleged that Dhillon was "presenting unverified data from the Indian government" and accused her of conflating “all Khalistan activism with terrorism.”

The stance of the HIR editors-in-chief aligned with Singh's position.

In a February 22 email, Black and Place informed Dhillon that the article was being removed and would only be republished if two conditions were met, The Harvard Crimson reports.

They requested her to exclude the Indian government's statistics on deaths attributed to Sikh militants, as they couldn't be independently verified, and "adding a sentence confirming whether Khalistan supporters had harassed Indian diplomats in Canada".

The Hindu American Foundation praised Dhillon for her courage in resisting pressure from HIR editors to alter her piece, highlighting her determination despite the personal risk she faced as a young international student.

Harvard Criticized for Yielding to Khalistani Pressure

Harvard is under criticism for retracting Dhillon's fact-based article, prompting organizations and individuals to share archived links on social media.

The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) condemned the withdrawal, calling it a "shameful" act.

"For Hindu Americans, this incident at Harvard is a chilling reminder that our voices can be erased the moment they challenge dominant narratives. The Khalistan movement has long targeted Hindus, from terror attacks in India to intimidation in the diaspora," Bhatt told India Today Digital.

San Francisco-based investor and engineer, Sidharth, highlighted Bhatt's Change.org petition and stated, "We must push back! Demand that Harvard restore the article and stand firm against threats to academic freedom."

The fact that the editors-in-chief of the Harvard International Review, who should uphold free speech and academic freedom, gave in highlights the influence of pro-Khalistani groups, the hypocrisy of liberal academia, and the prevalence of cancelled culture.

(This Article was originally published by India Today)