An Independence Day programme at Sardar Patel Vidyalaya in Delhi took an unexpected turn on Friday after Jawaharlal Nehru University professor emerita Zoya Hasan, who had been invited as the chief guest, was asked not to attend the event following a protest outside the school and concerns over security.Hasan was scheduled to hoist the national flag and address students at the school’s Lodi Estate campus. She was also expected to speak on pluralism. The programme, listed to begin at 10 am, went ahead in the school auditorium, but Hasan’s participation was cancelled at the last minute. Gujarat Education Society president and school alumna Shveta Kalyanwala replaced her.People aware of the incident said around 10 to 15 Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) members had gathered outside the school in the morning. A larger police contingent was subsequently deployed.The school confirmed that Hasan’s entry and speech had to be cancelled because of security concerns. A faculty member aware of the matter said, “Unfortunately, some unruly elements gathered outside the school early in the morning, following which the situation escalated due to political concerns.” However, the VHP was not mentioned by anyone from the authorities.The school administration did not officially say whether the decision was taken on the direction of the police or by the school itself.The Delhi Police, meanwhile, said the school had informed it about a security threat and that the school must have taken the decision to cancel Hasan’s participation. The police reportedly denied forcing the cancellation and said its personnel had been deployed only to provide protection.For Hasan, the cancellation came after more than two weeks of preparations for an engagement she said had been formally agreed with the school.Speaking to The Tribune about the incident, Hasan said she had received a formal invitation from Sardar Patel Vidyalaya on August 14 and that the school principal, Anuradha Joshi, had remained in touch with her for the preceding couple of weeks. She said the school had also exchanged emails with her about the arrangements, including her biography and transport to the venue.On Friday morning, the arrangements appeared to remain in place. Hasan said she received a message at 8.30 am saying that a teacher would reach her residence at 9.30 am to accompany her to the school.Instead, she said, the school’s manager arrived at her residence and told her that the event had been cancelled.According to Hasan, the manager said the Delhi Police had reached the school and were “very concerned” about her security as well as that of the students. Hasan said she had not been contacted directly by the police.The professor said there had been no disagreement over what she intended to tell the students. She had informed the school that her topic would be ‘Why pluralism matters’.“They were not suggesting what I should speak on, and to be fair, neither did they suggest I shouldn’t speak on this,” Hasan said.The episode has since raised questions and sparked a debate on social media.Economist Jayati Ghosh alleged on X that police had prevented Hasan from speaking at the event and that school authorities had been forced to cancel the programme on security grounds.Academic Apoorvanand also alleged that the protesters should have been restrained instead of Hasan being prevented from meeting the students.Hasan herself has been more cautious about drawing conclusions about what happened inside the school. During her conversation with The Tribune, she said she had no direct information about what had transpired between the school and those opposing her presence.“No, I have no access to any information. All I know is that the school manager came and said there’s some security threat, and no, I have no information on what transpired,” Hasan said.She said that if VHP members had opposed the event and her presence, she was unaware at what level the final decision had been taken. Hasan also said that, according to what she was hearing, the opposition to her was not only linked to her ideological positioning but also to her name.Asked whether, if it was found to be true that the objection was because of her left-wing ideology, she responded: “Too bad for them.” At the same time, she stopped short of making a direct allegation against the school over the cancellation.“I think dissent is important, diversity is important,” she said, adding that opposition to dissenting views should be expressed through competing views and beliefs rather than by seeking to crush those views.The school function itself was not cancelled. It continued in the auditorium, with Kalyanwala taking Hasan’s place.The VHP was approached for comment but did not respond.