Scholar alleges harassment
NEW DELHI, July 5 (UNI) — An outstanding research scholar has complained to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging harassment and victimisation by the authorities of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, for his crusade against corruption in the institute.
According to the complaint to the NHRC, the scientist, Mr Shyam Rudra Pathak, was facing complete ruination of his career and personality because of the continuous persecution and victimisation by the authorities of the NCRA.
Mr Pathak, an M.S. (physics) and M. Tech from the IIT Delhi, had topped the list of successful candidates in the written examination of the research scholars’ selection test of the prestigious Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), in 1993, conducted jointly by the NCRA and the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The complaint stated that a few months after successfully completing the course work for one semester in the TIFR Mr Pathak was transferred to the NCRA, which was a branch of the TIFR, on August 19, 1991.
Although he was called to join the course work in the NCRA after a delay of about two weeks from the beginning of the graduate programme, his performance was better than all other research scholars of his batch.
However, after completing his graduate programme, Mr Pathak was terminated in a highly arbitrary and oppressive manner without any reason. Though the termination was later revoked, he had to waste two years because of this arbitrary decision of the NCRA.
But this was not the end of his victimisation. He got registered for Ph.D in Pune University on January 18, 1995, following the withdrawal of his termination order. But before he could complete his research work Mr Pathak was again informed that his fellowship in the NCRA, Pune was withdrawn with effect from July 31, 1997.
The complaint stated that like the previous occasion, this time Mr Pathak was not given any formal termination order, but his research facilities were withdrawn and he was told to go away from the institute.
Generally the research scholars who finished their Ph.D in the NCRA are given fellowship for about six years or more for the research work, but he got less than three years because of his “tyrannical termination” earlier.
Mr Pathak wrote to the authorities that he would not cooperate with their order and continued to go to his office room.
However, on January 19, 1998, he was stopped from entering his office room. But he did not go back and started “satyagraha” there itself to express his non-cooperation with the “unjust order”. But the next day he was taken away by the police.
Following this his wife, Dr Manju Pathak, was beaten grievously and insulted and taken to the police station. The couple were later sent to the police lock-up, where they had to face the insulting behaviour and abusive language of the police, the complaint stated.
The brilliant scholar, who had topped the list of the GATE-1985 examination with a score of 99.89 per cent and awarded junior fellowship of the CSIR and senior fellowship of the IIT, Delhi earlier, was handcuffed while being taken from the lock-up to the court.
The complaint stated that while the couple were in the lock-up, their three children aged 10, 7 and 4 were shifted from their hostel room and all their belongings taken away from the room by the institute authorities.
When the couple were freed on the night of January 21, 1998, after a court order, they were not allowed to enter the NCRA campus by the security guards. Even their three children, who were shifted to another room of the hostel, were brought from the hostel uo to the campus gate and were handed over to them by the security guards.
They were not given any money or personal belongings even though he talked to the Dean and the Director of the centre about it on phone from outside the campus. Since then, they were forced to live a life of extreme deprivation.
Although Mr Pathak and his wife wrote to the Director, TIFR and the chairman of the TIFR Council of Management and from March 10 to 12, 1998, his wife sat on a dharna in front of the TIFR campus. There was no response from the authorities.
The complainant also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on April 13 this year, but no action was taken. Ultimately, he approached the NHRC.
NEW DELHI, July 5 (UNI) — An outstanding research scholar has complained to the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) alleging harassment and victimisation by the authorities of the National Centre for Radio Astrophysics (NCRA), Pune, for his crusade against corruption in the institute.
According to the complaint to the NHRC, the scientist, Mr Shyam Rudra Pathak, was facing complete ruination of his career and personality because of the continuous persecution and victimisation by the authorities of the NCRA.
Mr Pathak, an M.S. (physics) and M. Tech from the IIT Delhi, had topped the list of successful candidates in the written examination of the research scholars’ selection test of the prestigious Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), in 1993, conducted jointly by the NCRA and the Inter University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics.
The complaint stated that a few months after successfully completing the course work for one semester in the TIFR Mr Pathak was transferred to the NCRA, which was a branch of the TIFR, on August 19, 1991.
Although he was called to join the course work in the NCRA after a delay of about two weeks from the beginning of the graduate programme, his performance was better than all other research scholars of his batch.
However, after completing his graduate programme, Mr Pathak was terminated in a highly arbitrary and oppressive manner without any reason. Though the termination was later revoked, he had to waste two years because of this arbitrary decision of the NCRA.
But this was not the end of his victimisation. He got registered for Ph.D in Pune University on January 18, 1995, following the withdrawal of his termination order. But before he could complete his research work Mr Pathak was again informed that his fellowship in the NCRA, Pune was withdrawn with effect from July 31, 1997.
The complaint stated that like the previous occasion, this time Mr Pathak was not given any formal termination order, but his research facilities were withdrawn and he was told to go away from the institute.
Generally the research scholars who finished their Ph.D in the NCRA are given fellowship for about six years or more for the research work, but he got less than three years because of his “tyrannical termination” earlier.
Mr Pathak wrote to the authorities that he would not cooperate with their order and continued to go to his office room.
However, on January 19, 1998, he was stopped from entering his office room. But he did not go back and started “satyagraha” there itself to express his non-cooperation with the “unjust order”. But the next day he was taken away by the police.
Following this his wife, Dr Manju Pathak, was beaten grievously and insulted and taken to the police station. The couple were later sent to the police lock-up, where they had to face the insulting behaviour and abusive language of the police, the complaint stated.
The brilliant scholar, who had topped the list of the GATE-1985 examination with a score of 99.89 per cent and awarded junior fellowship of the CSIR and senior fellowship of the IIT, Delhi earlier, was handcuffed while being taken from the lock-up to the court.
The complaint stated that while the couple were in the lock-up, their three children aged 10, 7 and 4 were shifted from their hostel room and all their belongings taken away from the room by the institute authorities.
When the couple were freed on the night of January 21, 1998, after a court order, they were not allowed to enter the NCRA campus by the security guards. Even their three children, who were shifted to another room of the hostel, were brought from the hostel uo to the campus gate and were handed over to them by the security guards.
They were not given any money or personal belongings even though he talked to the Dean and the Director of the centre about it on phone from outside the campus. Since then, they were forced to live a life of extreme deprivation.
Although Mr Pathak and his wife wrote to the Director, TIFR and the chairman of the TIFR Council of Management and from March 10 to 12, 1998, his wife sat on a dharna in front of the TIFR campus. There was no response from the authorities.
The complainant also wrote a letter to the Prime Minister on April 13 this year, but no action was taken. Ultimately, he approached the NHRC.
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