Academicians and vice-chancellors of universities across the country wrote to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi against alleged "Left-wing anarchy in educational institutions."

There is a total of 208 signatories to the letter which claimed that the recent turn of events in Jawaharlal Nehru University, Aligarh Muslim University, and Jamia Millia Islamia University is being caused by 'small coterie of left-wing activists' resulting in deterioration of the academic environment.

"The recent turn of events in campuses from JNU to Jamia, from AMU to Jadavpur alarms us to the deteriorating academic environment due to the shenanigans of a small coterie of left-wing activists. This has led to the disruption of academic activities and day to day functioning of these institutions," the letter stated.

"The attempt to radicalise the students at a young age is stifling free-thinking and creativity. It is turning them more into political activists than learners exploring the new boundaries of knowledge," it added.

The letter also claimed that universities which are places of "debates and discussions" are being turned into "islands of ossified worldviews."

It also stated that the worst sufferer from the politics played by leftist student groups are "poor students and those from marginalised communities."

"They lose out on the opportunity to learn and build a better future for themselves. They also lose out on the freedom to articulate their own views and alternative politics," the letter explained.

"They find themselves constrained to conform to the majoritarian left politics," it further stated.

The letter also alleged that it is becoming difficult to "organise public talks or to speak independently due to the censorship imposed by the left-wing politics."

Among the prominent signatories to the letter are Ravinder, Central University of Punjab, Vice-Chancellor; Shyam Lal Soni, NIT Uttarakhand, Director and  Prof  Vinay Pathak, AKTU Lucknow, Vice-Chancellor. Some JNU professors - Ajay Dubey, Pawan Dhar, Usha Mina and Amit Mishra - are also among the signatories.