JNU professor Amita Singh, who was last year involved in a controversy over her alleged remarks calling Dalits and Muslims "anti-nationals", is among the thirteen people who will be members of the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR).
ICSSR, which is under the Ministry of Human Resource Development, was established in 1969 by the central government to promote research in social sciences. It gives grants to institutions and scholars, and reviews the progress of social science research.
Names of the 13 members have been approved by HRD Ministry recently. The ministry had last month appointed anthropologist Brij Bihari Kumar as ICSSR chairman, who had set in motion the process of appointment of other members to the council.
The chairman had sent 13 names for nomination as council members and the ministry has approved them.
Among those who have been chosen as members are JNU professors Amita Singh and Ashwini Mahapatra, Delhi University professor and honorary director of India Policy foundation Rakesh Sinha and Bihar University Vice Chancellor HCS Rathor.
Singh, who heads JNU's Centre of Law and Governance, had kicked up a controversy during the sedition row at the varsity by allegedly calling Dalits and Muslims as 'anti- nationals' during an interview with a publication. While the professor had maintained that she was 'quoted out of context', the National Commission for Scheduled Caste had sent show-cause notice to the JNU over the issue.
The controversy
JNU professor Amita Singh, who heads JNU’s Centre of Law and Governance, had kicked up a controversy during the sedition row at the varsity by allegedly calling Dalits and Muslims “anti- nationals” during an interview.
