India placed in 'severely restricted' academic freedom category in new report

India has been placed in the 'severely restricted' category for academic freedom in the 'Free to Think 2026' report published by Scholars at Risk.

The report documented 382 attacks on higher education communities across 59 countries between July 2025 and June 2026, noting increased government involvement in governance.

India's Academic Freedom Index score fell from 0.38 in 2022 to 0.14 in 2025, according to the network's data cited in the analysis.