Assam: NIT authority replaces Binay Krishna Roy, Dr Brinda Bhowmick is new Dean

SILCHAR: In an apparent gesture of bowing down before the agitating students, the NIT authority finally removed Binay Krishna Roy from the post of Dean (Academic). A notice issued by the Establishment Section of the premiere institute appointed Dr Brinda Bhowmick, Professor in the Electronics and Communication Engineering Department, as the new Dean.

The decision came after the students resorted to indefinite hunger strike from September 18 following the tragic suicide of Koj Buker, a fifth semester student who, the agitating students alleged, was mentally tortured by Roy. Buker was found hanging inside his room at hostel number seven on September 15. The tragic death of the fellow student triggered much tension in the campus. A group of students vandalized the quarter of Roy and even abused the Deputy Commissioner as well as the Police Super.

From September 18, the students began indefinite hunger strike demanding immediate removal of Roy from the post of Dean Academic as they alleged that Roy denied Buker permission to register for the next semester due to backlog. During the hunger strike at least four students fell sick and were shifted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital. Finally, Director Prof Dilip Kumar Baidya met the students on Friday and agreed to replace Roy. Even Baidya assured that no action would be taken against the students for vandalism. The decision of the NIT authority had raised eyebrows of many sections. Instead of ensuring security of a senior teacher, the authority had virtually put him under punishment even before the reports of the Fact Finding Committee – that was formed to probe what led a young student finish his life as well as the incident of vandalism– have been submitted. For the last nine days, neither the NIT authority nor the police had taken any step either against the students who broke into the house of Roy or to ensure security to the senior teacher. Roy had been staying at his relatives’ place for the last nine days with his petrified family.

Months back a few students were expelled from their hostel for beating up three hostel staff. But the authority failed to act while the residence of a senior teacher was vandalized by a section of students. The NIT authority was supposed to lodge an FIR as the quarter of Roy was a property of the institute. But surprisingly, the authority had asked Roy to approach the police on his own.

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