×
Director, IIT-Madras: STOP INVITING PEOPLE LIKE TEESTA SETALVAD
Matham P.
started this petition to
Director, IIT-Madras
Dear Sir,
We the undersigned students and alumni of IIT-Madras are concerned about the growing polarization of the IIT-Madras campus along narrow ideological lines due to some vested interests amongst the student groups and faculty members.
While it is perfectly alright to encourage free and fair debate on all issues of national concern amongst the students of IIT, we find that personalities of a particular ideological leaning alone are being invited under the guise of official platforms such as the extra mural lectures.
The talk by Teesta Setalvad on 10th February 2014 is a clear case in point. Mrs. Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand are accused by residents of the Gulbarg society of having embezzled funds to the tune of Rs.1.5 crores which were meant for the construction of a memorial. An FIR has been lodged against them and recently the Bombay High Court refused to grant them an anticipatory bail in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court of India to enquire into the Gujarat riots also accused Mrs. Setalvad of pressurizing the riots victims into giving false evidence.
That a person of such dubious credentials and controversial background has been invited by the IIT raises serious questions. This will only serve to vitiate the academic and professional atmosphere of the campus and divide the student community along political lines.
We request you to look into this matter and consider our request not to allow divisive and controversial individuals like Mrs. Teesta Setalvad to use the IIT platform to further her parochial interests.
Yours sincerely,
We the undersigned students and alumni of IIT-Madras are concerned about the growing polarization of the IIT-Madras campus along narrow ideological lines due to some vested interests amongst the student groups and faculty members.
While it is perfectly alright to encourage free and fair debate on all issues of national concern amongst the students of IIT, we find that personalities of a particular ideological leaning alone are being invited under the guise of official platforms such as the extra mural lectures.
The talk by Teesta Setalvad on 10th February 2014 is a clear case in point. Mrs. Setalvad and her husband Javed Anand are accused by residents of the Gulbarg society of having embezzled funds to the tune of Rs.1.5 crores which were meant for the construction of a memorial. An FIR has been lodged against them and recently the Bombay High Court refused to grant them an anticipatory bail in the case. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) set up by the Supreme Court of India to enquire into the Gujarat riots also accused Mrs. Setalvad of pressurizing the riots victims into giving false evidence.
That a person of such dubious credentials and controversial background has been invited by the IIT raises serious questions. This will only serve to vitiate the academic and professional atmosphere of the campus and divide the student community along political lines.
We request you to look into this matter and consider our request not to allow divisive and controversial individuals like Mrs. Teesta Setalvad to use the IIT platform to further her parochial interests.
Yours sincerely,
Posted
(Updated )
Report this as inappropriate
There was an error when submitting your files and/or report.