IIM-Calcutta accepts resignation of first woman director

KOLKATA: The Board of Governors of IIM- Calcutta said it has accepted the resignation of its first woman director Anju Seth, who had put in her papers a year before the end of tenure.

The board, in a statement issued late on Wednesday, also said the premier institute has appointed Prof Subir Bhattacharya as Director-in-Charge. A source in IIM-C said in her resignation letter, Seth, who had taken charge in 2018, alleged certain groups in the B-school were resisting her efforts to improve governance, bring reforms in academic matters and encroaching upon her executive powers.

Reacting to her allegations, the board said "it is regretted that at the time of leaving, Prof Anju Seth has made baseless and self-serving assertions against the institute". "IIM Calcutta will continue to be run in the best traditions of good governance and transparency," it said in a statement.

Seth had told PTI on Tuesday that she sent a letter to the Union Ministry of Education, asking it to relieve her of the responsibilities. "Yes, I have sent in my resignation letter on Sunday. I am not well right now, and disappointed as I am leaving a dream only partially fulfilled; it is not what I had sought." Her decision to quit came amid a tiff with the faculty of the institute.

A section of teachers of the 60-year-old IIM-C had recently complained to the ministry about Seth's conduct. She had countered the accusation, contending that the faculty was trying to curb her powers as the director, another source said. In a statement after quitting, Seth said she hoped that in future, the institute will "continue to build on a culture of transparency and accountability as core values".

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