To 

Chairman,

Board of Governors,

IIT Kanpur

 

Dear Sir,

 

IIT Kanpur is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee this year, and it has been an amazing 60 years of excellence. We are all proud of our Institute and it has a very special place in all our hearts. As Alumni, we always feel connected to the institute and see ourselves as brand ambassadors of IIT Kanpur. 

 

Given this we are greatly dismayed by the recent extremely negative reporting about IIT Kanpur in the media and over email networks.

 

An article published on many websites (https://kafila.online/2019/04/10/the-saderla-story-courage-in-the-face-of-violent-prejudice-manindra-agrawal and a letter with some annexures (http://bit.ly/2OQZWlp​ ,  http://bit.ly/2HYYRY7 ) penned by the Deputy Director of our Institute, Prof. Manindra Agrawal, is circulating in media and amongst international academicians. The article shows the institute in extremely poor light. It makes allegations and insinuations against the functioning of the IIT Kanpur Senate and casts aspersion on its intentions and fairness.  The senate has been equated to a “lynch mob” which is “baying for blood” and “seeking revenge”. 

 

The Deputy Director has used his position, and the trust that comes with it, to give the case of holding academic standards that the Senate is handling a caste angle. This has maligned all faculty at our institute, IIT Kanpur, including the Chairman, Senate who presides over the Senate and is responsible for its decorous conduct. By criticizing, in an extremely slanderous manner, the actions of the highest academic body that safeguards the academics in the institute, the Deputy Director is destroying the reputation that IIT Kanpur has built over 60 years.  This is not only a misuse of his office but, we believe, also violates the code of conduct of IIT Kanpur.

 

This is absolutely shocking to us. Equally importantly, it now appears that the Deputy Director only chose to publish and circulate select documents (reports and findings without all supporting annexures and evidence) in order to create a distorted story. The Deputy Director has used unsubstantiated claims to paint a picture that suits his agenda.

 

We also called some senior professors at IIT Kanpur to get their views, and were shocked to find an environment of fear where people are scared to voice their opinion openly, because they are afraid that the Deputy Director will make open scurrilous attacks on their integrity, and/or use his administrative position to cause harm in other ways. Surely fearful minds will never impart critical thinking through teaching or conduct courageous path-breaking research. Through his actions the Deputy Director has sounded the death knell of academics at IIT Kanpur, something that shames us, and should worry all who care about IIT Kanpur. 

 

By criticizing the Senate in this manner openly, the Deputy Director has completely undermined the Senate’s authority to govern academics in the institute. The students will not have any trust in the decisions of the Senate, which also has the responsibility of upholding academic ethics and enforcing discipline amongst students. We will descend from an internationally known IIT to a disreputable local college.

 

By circulating his article among leading academicians and social leaders, by presenting a biased view of the case, by vilifying in the most crass manner the Institute’s highest academic body, and through other actions, the Deputy Director has adversely influenced how us IIT Kanpur alumni, old and new, will now be perceived. We used to be treated with respect, now we will be looked down upon with disdain.

 

Sir, this institute has been a pioneer in many fields. It has produced generations of world class graduates and post-graduates who are respected for their knowledge, aptitude and conduct all over the world. Till a decade and half back, it was the preferred choice of students and faculty. IIT Kanpur used to come out at the top amongst all older IITs in every published ranking. But, no more. We have clearly lost the academic high-ground, and the recent, open vilification of our Academic Senate has now sunk IIT Kanpur’s reputation to rock bottom.

 

Given what is going on in the media, it is clear that in order to safeguard IIT Kanpur’s academic reputation and preserve our Senate’s sanctity, it is now imperative that the current Deputy Director be asked to step down. Furthermore, an inquiry by the Board should be conducted into the gross violation of IIT Kanpur's code of conduct by the Deputy Director.

 

Our beloved alma mater must be rescued from the clutches of the Deputy Director who has gravely abused the privileges of his office, and has maligned the fair name of IIT Kanpur internationally, that too in its diamond jubilee year.

 

Dear Sir, we have full faith in your leadership, and in the wisdom of the Board, and we request you to investigate this matter and take prompt action to safeguard IIT Kanpur’s name and academics.

 

Thank you very much.

 

With sincere regards,

IIT Kanpur Alumni

cc. Members, Board of Governors, IIT Kanpur