AMN
Student activist Umar Khalid has completed his Doctorate as his PhD thesis which was cleared by the Jawaharlal Nehru University.
Taking to Twitter, Khalid in a post wrote, “Successfully defended my PhD today. Finally, it’s Dr Umar Khalid.”
Successfully defended my Ph.D today. Finally, it's Dr. Umar Khalid!
मोदी साहब, हमने तो टैक्सपेयर्स का हिसाब चुकता किया! और आपने?
Special thanks to Dr. Sangeeta Dasgupta, Prof. Prabhu Mahapatra & Prof.Rohan D'Souza, JNU community & all who stood by me in last few tumultuous yrs. pic.twitter.com/ePvFCJapol
— Umar Khalid (@UmarKhalidJNU) May 14, 2019
In 2016, Khalid came to limelight after he, along with Kanhaiya Kumar and Anirban Bhattacharya, was charged with sedition and arrested for allegedly organising an event in solidarity with Afzal Guru – who was convicted for his role in the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and later executed by hanging.
He also thanked his supervisor and his external examiners. “A special thanks to the entire JNU community and several people (many of whom I don’t even know) who stood by me in the last few tumultuous years,” Mr. Khalid said.
In August last year, the JNU administration had created hurdles for Mr. Khalid when he submitted his PhD. The university had cited the punishments awarded to him and others in connection with the February 9, 2016, incident.
However, the HC had set aside the decision of an enquiry panel that was set up to probe the incident and had instructed the university not to take any “coercive action” against Mr. Khalid.
“This should come as a befitting reply to all those who had earlier said that students of JNU do not study. The body of work that Kanhaiya [Kumar], Anirban [Bhattacharya], I and others have produced should be the answer to all the spokespersons of the ruling party, who were of the opinion that we do not study,” Mr. Khalid had said after submitting it.
Khalid’s research is a study on the life of tribals in Jharkhand.