IISc Bengaluru criticised for hosting India-Israel business summit amid ongoing conflict

The esteemed Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru is facing criticism for hosting the India-Israel Business Summit. In response, a protest was held against the institution on Monday, reports News Minute.

India-Israel Business Summit held on Monday(File)

According to the report, several activists and academics have raised objections to the event, which was organised by Bengaluru Palestine Solidarity (BPS). The protesters have raised concerns about the involvement of IISc, as well as other institutions such as IIM Bangalore, IIIT Bangalore, NIAS and the Karnataka government.

Outrage from scientists and activists

As reported by Deccan Herald, over 1,600 people from various universities in India and abroad have written to IISc requesting the cancellation of the India-Israel business meet.

In a letter addressed to Professor Govindan Rangarajan, director of IISc Bengaluru, the signatories said allowing the event “would amount to direct support for Israel’s genocide in Palestine and its aggressive actions against its neighbours”.

“Israel is currently engaged in a brutal war. In this campaign, Israel has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children. A report in the Lancet suggested that the true casualties could be four times higher, which would be about 10% of Gaza’s total population. Israel has destroyed every university in Gaza,” the letter added.

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BPS condemns police actions

The India-Israel Business Summit was held on Monday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It was organized by Think India, Indian Chamber of International Business and Mysore Lancers Heritage Foundation.

“The objective of the summit is to bring together business leaders, entrepreneurs and policy makers from both the countries to discuss and explore potential areas of cooperation, foster partnerships, discover synergies and drive innovation,” Think India said in a social media post.

According to The News Minute, the BPS also condemned the Bengaluru police for allegedly threatening to disrupt the event. They insisted on removing the Palestinian flag and tried to shut down the press conference.

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