SFI terms IIT Mandi director’s statement ‘illogical, unscientific’, demands 'immediate expulsion'

NEW DELHI: Indian Institute of Technology Mandi (IIT Mandi) director Laxmidhar Behera’s recent statement claiming landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh are happening because of cruelty on animals has stirred controversy. Several academics, scientists, and student organisations have also condemned his remark.

The central executive committee of Students' Federation of India (SFI) called it a “illogical-unscientific” statement and demanded immediate expulsion of the director for giving such “absurd knowledge”.

IIT Mandi director Laxmidhar Behera asked the students to take a pledge to not eat meat claiming that cruelty to animals is causing landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh.

“In the current dispensation, having views like those of the director of IIT Mandi is a feature. If our higher educational institutions are running with such a mentality, then we can expect further technological development,” the students union said.

Although several scientists have denied the claim, the SFI said: “The problem is deep rooted as such influential persons trying to influence students towards this kind of superstition and unscientific (ideas) inside the institution.”

Indian Institute of Technology Mandi is one of eight new IITs established by the ministry of human resource development.

“This is the quality of the newly opened IIT. At a time when research should have been done to find out the reasons behind this tragedy. Scientific facts should have been discovered to avoid such calamity in future, we observed superstition in the place of science,” SFI said.