Mostly true, but said more strongly than the evidence supports.
Why we say that›
V-Dem places India in bottom 10-20 percent on academic freedom, Pakistan and Syria ahead.
Supported claims confirm the historic low and global standing. The transcript's precise 156/189 rank is unsupported and misleads on scale. The through-line about decline under Modi follows from the verified indices.
No source supports the 156 out of 189 rank. Reports cite bottom 10-20 percent of 179 countries
Reported 9 Sept 2026
Claims
1 true · 4 unchecked
- True
India's academic freedom is lowest since 1900—worse than during the Emergency.
What's actually true
Academic freedom in India is at its lowest since 1900, even below the Emergency years 1975-1977.
- Couldn't check
India ranked among the bottom 10-20 per cent of countries globally on academic freedom, according to the latest V-Dem Academic Freedom Index.
What's actually true
India ranked among the bottom 10-20 per cent of countries globally on the V-Dem Academic Freedom Index.
- Couldn't check
India ranks 156th out of 189 countries in the V-Dem Academic Freedom Index.
What's actually true
We couldn't verify this claim with a reliable source. No source gives the 156 out of 189 rank. Reports mention bottom 10-20 per cent of 179 countries.
- Couldn't check
Pakistan and Syria are ranked ahead of India in the V-Dem Academic Freedom Index.
What's actually true
Pakistan, Syria and others outperformed India on the index.
- Couldn't check
There are not one but several reports that talk about the failures of the Modi government.
What's actually true
One source lists eight global indices showing India lagged under the BJP government.
The full story, from the sources›
Global Report of lagging India! The condition of the country went from bad to worse in eight years in various indices of the world. Global Hunger Index Freedom of the Press Global Gender Gap Index Rule of WJP Law Index Social Progress Index EUI Democracy Index Global Food Security Index. - Indian National Congress Silencing Academia, Weakening Democratic Space. - shankariasparliament.com (2026-05-06) New Delhi: Academic and research freedom in Indian educational institutes and universities is at its lowest since 1900, even below the Emergency years between 1975 and 1977, an international ranking has highlighted. - ThePrint (2026-08-04) The 2026 report suggests that many countries have outperformed India in the Academic Freedom Index, including Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria. - NewsGram - Your Most Trusted Place for News with Substance (2026-09-01)
From reporting
How it's framed (3)›
Sources (4)›
New Delhi: Academic and research freedom in Indian educational institutes and universities is at its lowest since 1900, even below the Emergency years between 1975 and 1977, an international ranking has highlighted.
The 2026 report suggests that many countries have outperformed India in the Academic Freedom Index, including Pakistan, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, and Syria
Global Report of lagging India! The condition of the country went from bad to worse in eight years in various indices of the world. Global Hunger Index Freedom of the Press Global Gender Gap Index Rule of WJP Law Index Social Progress Index EUI Democracy Index Global Food Security Index
Silencing Academia, Weakening Democratic Space
Notes on this check (3)›
- Dropped 1 support citation(s) for "India ranked among the bottom 10-20 per cent of countries…" because the cited passages do not address the claim directly.
- Dropped 1 support citation(s) for "Pakistan and Syria are ranked ahead of India in the V-Dem…" because the cited passages do not address the claim directly.
- Dropped 1 support citation(s) for "There are not one but several reports that talk about the…" because the cited passages do not address the claim directly.
Checked against 1 source · 9 Sept 2026
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