UAPA event cancellation: IISER Mohali issues notice to teachers critical of IISc Bangalore
11 July 2023 | The Indian Express
Indian Institute of Science Education & Research (IISER), Mohali. (Representative image. Express archive photo by Jasbir Malhi)
Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) in Mohali has issued showcause notices to two of its faculty members for signing a recent letter addressed to the director of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bangalore to protest the last-minute cancellation of a discussion on the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) that was supposed to be led by student activists Natasha Narwal and Devangana Kalita.
The two faculty members, who were the only two teachers from the institute to sign the letter, have been directed to explain their participation without “obtaining the prior approval of the competent authority.” They have time till July 13 to respond, and the institute, meanwhile, has frozen “the notional allocation of funds” to the two teachers meant for research purposes. The administration has prima facie found them in violation of the Central Civil Services Conduct Rules, which are applicable to all employees of IISER Mohali.