Two days after IIT Guwahati suspended and ‘compulsorily retired’ its professor Brijesh Kumar Rai citing several disciplinary proceedings, it is likely that its action will be challenged in the court of law. Dr Rai, Assistant Professor, Department of Electronics & Electrical Engineering was suspended and was forcefully asked to opt for compulsory retirement.

What the University said

The Telegraph reported that a statement released by IIT Guwahati said it has recommended disciplinary action against Rai amounting to dismissal from service. The statement said, “A high-level external independent committee was also set up to look into the complaints received against Rai. In all these cases, Rai was given fair opportunities to present his case personally before the board of governors and the high-level committee, but he failed to do so. The committees came to a unanimous conclusion and recommended disciplinary action against Rai amounting to dismissal from service. However, considering the future prospects of Rai and his career, the board of governors was considerate about his future and reduced the quantum of punishment to compulsory retirement instead of dismissal from service.”

The cases made up against Rai include manhandling and beating up of faculty members , dereliction of duty, wrongly accusing the institute and an external-funding agency, violating official procedure protocol, defaming the institute by posting messages on social media, filing unnecessary RTIs and PILs that waste the time of the institute’s workforce, defaming the institute’s administrators and policies and giving interviews to the media in an unauthorised manner.

The students’ reaction

The whistle-blower professor, although, has been defended by the students of the institute. Two IIT-G PhD students, Vikrant Singh and Himanchal Singh started hunger strike for the ‘campaign for justice to Rai’ but they were denied the permission to continue their agitation. However, they continued their strike regardless.

The professor’s side of the story

Rai believes one of the main reasons for his suspension was his reporting to the ISRO chairman about the irregularities in implementation of a project at IIT-G funded by the space institute. He said that he was not given a fair chance to defend himself during the inquiry; he was not allowed to get a defence assistant during the hearing although it is mandatory as per the Central Civil Services (Classsification, Control and Appeal) Rules. He was also not allowed to cross-examine any complainant or witness. On this basis he has decided to take the institute to court.

Rai maintained that the charges against him were simply vindictive as he had unearthed several cases of corruption within the institute.

The state’s growing intolerance towards dissent is reflected on a daily basis in the various incidents that take place where students and other class of people’s voices of dissent are muzzled under state pressure tactics of violence and in this case the tactic of intimidation has been used, to hide their incompetence.

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