आईआईटी खड़गपुरःफर्ज़ी संस्थान मामले में प्रो. लाहिड़ी की भूमिका भी संदिग्ध

आज के टाइम्स ऑफ इंडिया में प्रकाशित अक्षय मुकुल की रिपोर्ट कहती है कि आईआईटी खड़गपुर में भारतीय इलेक्ट्रिकल् इंजीनियरिंग संस्थान की स्थापना की अनुमति कथित रूप से तत्कालीन राष्ट्रपति के निजी सचिव द्वारा दी गई अनुमति के आधार पर हुई। इस पूरे मामले में अब आईआईटी खड़गपुर में रिसर्च एंड इंडस्ट्रियल कन्सल्टेंसी के सलाहकार प्रो. लाहिड़ी का नाम भी सामने आ रहा हैः

The fake institute Institution of Electrical Engineers (India) run by IIT Kharagpur teachers was set up on the basis of a fake document,which was supposedly written by the private secretary of the President in 1987.

Also,the involvement of Prof S K Lahiri,former deputy director of IIT-Kharagpur and professor of electronics and communication engineering,as an advisor to IEE(I) has come to the fore.Post-retirement,Lahiri has been working as an adviser to the Sponsored Research and Industrial Consultancy a position specifically created for him in IITKharagpur.

The 22-page document,in possession of the Times of India,is so full of big boasts,at times laughable,and even serious factual inaccuracies that no one can possibly miss it.Not only laws,even the grammar and language has been completely disregarded.It is strange that so many IIT-Kharagpur professors including few directors could not see through the charade.

Most of the IIT professors associated with IEE(I) have seen the document,but no one bothered to report it to the Central Vigilance Commission, a senior IIT professor said,adding that A K Ghosh of department of aerospace was himself a central vigilance officer of the institute for five years.

The alleged document from the Presidents private secretary is for some strange reason titled Stricture and states,the honorable President of India is happy to annex the strictures which are confined to office memorandum.... the decree shall not be violated by any highest dignitary of government officials,ministers and even by the apex court of India. In a complete ignorance about the way universities and higher educational institutions are funded,the document says UGC chairman has been asked to give operating grants both for IEE and deemed university.

Talking of autonomy,the document says,IEE(I) is more independent,so it can perform effectively by looking towards its sole objective. Then it says that the institute can fix its policy based on its needs,without much thinking about policy of the government.

The real clincher is the way the document empowers IEE(I) governing body to choose its nomenclature from the following Indian University of Technology,Global University of Science and Technology and University of the IEE,or any other name approved.In the next page,the document says the President has opted for the name International University of Modern Science and Technology.

As for the age-limit,the document clearly takes the name of J C Biswas,retired professor of electronics & communication engineering,IIT-Kharagpur,and says he can remain vice-chancellor for life long as he wishes i.e no age bar.A similar privilege has been conferred on founder-director J K Tiwari.