Instead of burning ,Ujjal Dosanjh throws his UBC Degree in Garbage Bag
Vancouver, April 11, 2021: Canadian politician Ujjal Dosanjh has thrown his UBC Law Degree in Garbage Bin to protest against the cancellation of Talk of prominent Indian journalist Hartosh Singh Bal on Farm Laws in University of British Columbia , Canada allegedly under the pressure of some radical Sikhs.
The lecture was scheduled on April 7, 2021.
Perturbed over the reports of the apprehension of cancellation of the lecture, Ujjal Dosanjh had threatened to " torch his UBC degree publicly , if it happens" . Now after cancellation of the lecture, he , instead of burning his degree, has thrown it in the garbage bin and wrote an open letter to the president of UBC.
The full text of the letter is as under:
An Open Letter UBC President Santa J. Ono Regarding Academic Freedom
"I have consigned the degree to the yellow recycle bag picked up by the City"
Saturday, 10 April 2021
An Open Letter to the President of UBC Santa J. Ono sent via president.office@ubc.ca
Dear President Ono,
It saddens me that University of British Columbia has cancelled this year’s Harjit Kaur Sidhu Memorial Program in which the journalist Hartosh Singh Bal, the political editor at Caravan magazine, was scheduled to speak. It is understood the cancellation came under pressure from the few radical Sikhs agitating for the dismemberment of India to create a theistic state for the Sikhs.
I understand the radical elements are critical of what Mr. Bal has written about his uncle KPS Gill whom they accuse of extra-judicially killing Sikhs during the post Operation Blue Star period of unrest and violence in the Punjab.
I don’t always agree with Hartosh Singh Bal but I know him as an outstanding and fearless journalist who has been unsparingly critical of the excesses of the police and of the Hindu and Sikh theistic/nationalistic elements in India including the actions of the Modi government in mistreating the minorities and undermining the secular fabric of the country.
Also Read: Canadian leader Ujjal Dosanjh threatens to publicly torch his UBC LLB degree. Know why
I have felt for some time the once well deserved reputation of Canadian universities for academic freedom has been on the wane. Unfortunately UBC has not been an exception to this trend. The most ill considered cancellation of the aforementioned lecture on the farm laws in India, the subject of massive ongoing protests in the country, doesn’t behoove a world class university.
I had threatened to publicly torch my UBC law degree if the university cancelled the aforementioned event due to pressure from anyone. A friend had reminded me the City of Vancouver doesn’t allow the burning of waste within the City limits. To conform to the City rules and to avoid causing pollution, I have consigned the degree to the yellow recycle bag picked up by the City.
Regards
Ujjal Dosanjh
sikh radicals and khalistanis are trying to climb the farm protests bandwagon only to strengthen their own agenda. they aren't succeeding, much to their frustration, but they have from the beginning tried to do damage by straying as far as they can from the real issues. https://t.co/ensRLWAsu1
— Hartosh Singh Bal (@HartoshSinghBal) April 6, 2021