The institute has also issued orders replacing three heads of departments, who were signatories to a mass petition.
The conflict began in September, when the IIT Teachers’ Association (IITTA) wrote to the Union Education Ministry, accusing the institute of arbitrary recruitment and other irregularities under the tenure of its current director V K Tewari. It has also requested that the ministry appoint a new director after his tenure ends in January 2025.
In response, the institute initiated disciplinary proceedings against the IITTA’s four office- bearers, who were asked to substantiate their claims. According to sources, the office-bearers were asked to present documents within a week, but they asked for a month’s time.
The issue, however, snowballed after 86 faculty members wrote a mass petition to the institute, threatening to go on a hunger strike if the show cause to the four IITTA office-bearers was not rolled back. But the institute doubled down and issued show cause notices to these 86 too.
On Wednesday and Thursday, nearly 100 faculty members wore black bands and held a silent protest march on campus. Sources say the faculty members and the IITTA are discussing whether to move court against the institute.
The administration also replace three heads of departments – Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Bioscience and Biotechnology – on Wednesday. All of them are among the faculty members who were served the notices. Officials, however, did not say whether their removal from their positions was linked to the recent tensions, nor did the office orders cite the reason for the move.
“Though the director is empowered to make changes in departments, these three had not completed three years, which is typically a head of department’s tenure. Moreover, this move comes at a time when semester results are coming out, and PhD admissions are going on, so the faculty is busy,” said a source.
What the September letter states
The IITTA letter to Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan highlights that the current director Tewari’s tenure ends in January 2025.
It claims that under his tenure, “favouritism has flourished” and “several academically excellent and more prudent senior teachers are bypassed to promote a single person over and over again”.
It claims that “selection of key administrative positions like deans, heads of departments and chairmen of various committees have been done whimsically flouting all rules and statutes of the Institute”.
It also alleges that there is “an arbitrariness and vindictiveness in the faculty selection process causing several existing faculty members to leave the institute”.
It highlights that the Institute failed to start a “Multi Super-Speciality Hospital” inside the campus.
On November 12, the institute sent show cause notices to the president, vice president, general secretary and treasurer of the IITTA. A little over two weeks later, on November 28, IITTA submitted a mass petition to the authorities demanding withdrawal of show cause notices to the four office bearers. It was signed by 86 faculty members and members of IITTA.
A day later, on November 29, the institute issued a show cause notice to the 86. It read: “Your act has violated the Conduct Rules of the Institute… which state: ‘No employee shall be signatory to any joint representation addressed to the authorities for redress of any grievances or any other matter’. In view of the above, you are hereby required to state reasons within seven days of receipt of this notice as to why action shall not be taken against you.”
Days later, on December 2, officer orders were issued replacing three heads of departments.
In a statement issued on December 3, IIT-Kharagpur stated, “The institute stands firm on its ground nullifying all the allegations. Among the 800-plus faculty members, the intent of action of these 85 signatories are questioned in mobilising a mass representation to threaten the administration, propagating a collective hateful purpose and disrupting the normal academic workflow of the institution without a definitive agenda. Apart from a few, most of the signatories are unaware of the motive of the agenda and are therefore withdrawing their stance.”
“This is an academic institution, and this type of propaganda and approach should not be encouraged,” it stated.
Tewari and the media executive at the director’s office did not respond to an email seeking comment.
With inputs from Atri Mitra