The 105th Indian Science Congress (ISC), to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Osmania University here on January 3, has been postponed indefinitely -- apparently in view of the security situation on the campus.
This is the first time an ISC, the largest congregation of Indian scientists, has been postponed.
"Vice Chancellor of Osmania University has informed that they are not in a position to host 105th Indian Science Congress scheduled January 3-7 due to certain issues in the campus," read a brief statement on the Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA) website.
ISCA is expected to decide the new date and venue of the Congress on December 27.
Over 2,000 scientists including 15 Noble laureates from different countries were expected to participate in the ISC.
The university officials did not specify the reason but the prevailing security situation due to recent protests apparently forced the authorities to postpone the prestigious event.
More From This Section
The campus witnessed violent protests by student groups over the suicide of a student earlier this month.
The student groups alleged that the post-graduate student ended his life out of fear of not getting a job due to the wrong policies being adopted by the Telangana government.
Last week, the campus saw another round of protest by Adivasi students over the demand to remove Banjara Lambada community from the Scheduled Caste list.
--IANS
ms/him/mr