More than 100 professors at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur have been staging a sit-in outside the institute’s administrative building since Wednesday. Professors have been holding placards and wearing black badges as a mark of protest. “We have written to the chairman of the board of governors for his intervention. The sit-in started on Wednesday. If our demands are not met, we will go on a hunger strike. We are also planning to move court early next week,” said one of the protesting professors, who wished to remain anonymous.
Allegations Against the Director
The protest follows allegations made by the Indian Institute of Technology Teachers’ Association (IITTA) against Director Virendra Kumar Tewari, whose term ends in January 2025. In September, the IITTA wrote to the Union government accusing the director of nepotism, arbitrary faculty recruitment, failure to establish a multi-super-specialty hospital, unlawful recovery of excess payments from faculty members, and damaging relations between the institute and the local community.
An IITTA member explained, “The letter [to the Union government] said letters to the director, board of governors, and the chairman over the issues in the past went unanswered. The minister was requested to appoint a new director of high academic repute and experienced in practising inclusive governance.”
In response, the IIT administration issued show-cause notices in November to the IITTA office bearers, including the president, general secretary, vice president, and treasurer. A further 86 faculty members received similar notices after signing a resolution demanding the withdrawal of these disciplinary actions.
The notices referred to the institute’s Conduct Rules, citing statute 15 (17), Schedule B, point 16 (b), which prohibits employees from signing joint representations addressed to authorities for grievance redressal.
Faculty Demand Withdrawal of Notices
On November 28, the IITTA held an extraordinary general body meeting and passed a resolution signed by 86 faculty members. This resolution, sent to the registrar, demanded the immediate withdrawal of the show-cause notices and a halt to disciplinary proceedings. The resolution also threatened a hunger strike if their demands were not addressed.
Amid the protests, the IIT administration replaced the heads of the artificial intelligence, mathematics, biosciences, and biotechnology departments, citing their involvement in the mass resolution.
IIT Kharagpur authorities have declined to comment on the situation, leaving the protest unresolved as the faculty prepares to escalate their agitation.