GUWAHATI, June 29 - Srijeeb Karmakar, a research scholar in the Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G), has written to the Prime Minister�s Office (PMO) alleging misconduct and mental harassment by his research supervisor.
In a letter sent through the official website of the PMO recently, Karmakar alleged that his research guide has been deliberately abusing him mentally, and has exhibited research misconduct by giving unethical guest authorship in some writings.
�He is using his position to threaten my personal liberty and freedom of expression, and is also discriminating me on the ground of my ancestry and economic background,� Karmakar, who hails from Agartala, stated in the letter.
Sunayan Deka, a former research scholar in the same department who had worked under the same supervisor, also wrote to the Prime Minister on Friday raising the same allegation against the teacher.
In the letter, Deka alleged that when he had reported about the injustices to the higher authorities of the institute, his former research supervisor continued to harass him and pressurised him to write an apology.
Karmakar and Deka, while taking to The Assam Tribune, alleged that they did not get any response from the authorities of the IIT-G, despite apprising them of the matter on numerous occasions.
They had even reported the matter to the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development. In a letter written to the ministry in January, Sunayan Deka had alleged that his fellowship programme was discontinued after he had raised his voice against the injustice.
The IIT-G authorities, when contacted for their comments on the issue, however, said that they were not in a position to make any comments at this moment.
