IIM-B faculty asks corporate India to 'de-fund' hate speech

Bengaluru: A group of current and retired faculty members at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) has asked leaders of corporate India, to "de-fund" the spread of misinformation and hate speech through news channels and social media.

In an open letter, written in their personal capacity, 11 present and six retired IIMB faculty members have said that they are drawing the attention of corporate India leaders to the "fragile state of internal security with an increasing risk of violent conflicts in the country."

Noting that over the past few years, an open and public exhibit of hatred towards minorities in public discourse has become common practice in India, in political discourse, television news, as well as on social media, the signatories said, the usage of othering, dehumanising and demonising language while referring to minorities has reached alarming levels, and acts of violent hate crimes, often by organised and radicalised groups, against minorities have seen a rise.

"The inaction of police and security forces during recent communal riots, as well as the acquittal or pardoning of culprits involved in rape and mass murder during previous instances of riots, coupled with the silence of authorities, has signalled a glaring level of complacency in place of urgency by the government," they said.

The signatories to the letter are: Anubha Dhasmana, Arpita Chatterjee, B K Chandrashekar, Deepak Malghan, Hema Swaminathan, Krishna T Kumar, Malay Bhattacharyya, Mira Bakhru, P D Jose, Prateek Raj, Raghavan Srinivasan, Rajluxmi V Murthy, Ritwik Banerjee, Shalique M S, Soham Sahoo, Srinivasan Murali, and Vinod Vyasulu.

Pointing out that maintaining peace, stability and cohesion in the country is of paramount importance to corporate India without which India cannot become an economic powerhouse, the letter says the leaders of corporate India have an important and substantial role to play in curbing the spread of hate and misinformation. The old and current IIMB faculty appeal to corporate India to: stop funding hate, support responsible stakeholders, curate a welcoming work culture, and use your voice for fraternity. (PTI)