Mauritius institute claims MoU with IIT-Delhi was ‘limited to research’

However, A Suddhoo, executive director of Mauritius Research Council said: “The MoU is limited to research and provides purely for a research academy. Its (IIT-Delhi) role is only that.” He added that the proposed centre in Mauritius wasn’t an off-campus centre.

The MoU has Shevgaonkar and Suddhoo’s signatures.

IIT-Delhi chairman Vijay P Bhatkar met HRD Minister Smriti Irani on Tuesday, after which he paid a visit to President Pranab Mukherjee who is the Visitor of IITs. The ministry is yet to accept Shevgaonkar’s resignation.

Meanwhile, IIT-Delhi’s faculty forum came out in strong support of Shevgaonkar and urged him to withdraw his resignation.

“IIT-Delhi faculty members are of the unanimous view that interference in the operational autonomy of IIT-Delhi (and IIT system in general) is the beginning of the end to excellence that has been achieved so far, or can be achieved in future, especially in the Indian context. For any academician, including all faculty of IIT-Delhi and especially Prof. Shevgaonkar, dignity and integrity are the sole assets of our lives. Thus, direct or indirect communication affecting these parameters is bound to create unrest in an otherwise peaceful mind that truly loves research and teaching,” it said in a statement.

“The faculty of IIT-Delhi stands by the decisions that its administration has taken to uphold the autonomy of the institute. We request the director, IIT-Delhi, to withdraw his resignation,” it added.

In a statement issued Monday evening, IIT-Delhi administration had also clarified its stand on the issue, explaining there was no violation in setting up of the IITRA.