86 IIT Kharagpur faculty members issued show-cause notices; MP writes to Dharmendra Pradhan

NEW DELHI: Highlighting an incident at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur wherein as many as 86 faculty members have been issued show-cause notices for passing a mass resolution against action taken against the office-bearers of the teachers' body, a Rajya Sabha member sought Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan’s intervention.

In a letter to the education minister, Member of Parliament (MP) Samirul Islam narrated how the incident has disrupted the normal academic life at the IIT. The teachers have been asked to respond within seven days amid the preparation of results and the PhD interview process.

He explained that the matter began when the IIT Teachers' Association sent a letter to Pradhan, expressing concerns about issues such as nepotism, recruitment and promotion practices, incompetence, and undemocratic behavior under the current director. In retaliation, the authorities issued show-cause notices to the faculty members who serve as elected office bearers of the teachers' association, a body that is both independent and officially recognized by IIT Kharagpur.

Although these faculty members requested an extension for submitting their responses, citing academic pressures at the end of the semester, their request was denied, and they were threatened with disciplinary action, the MP claimed.

“This entire episode appears undemocratic and an infringement on the rights of citizens of India. It is evident that the IIT authorities are displaying a high-handed approach, even issuing show-cause notices to those who have written to the honorable Union Minister, who oversees such premier institutions in the country. I hope you will take appropriate action against this practice by the IIT Kharagpur authorities,” the minister said.