JNU prof in the dock
The Centre of Indian Languages at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is mired in a grade-tampering controversy. This common controversy, however, has an uncommon culprit — a teacher, reports Ritika Chopra.
The Centre of Indian Languages at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is mired in a grade-tampering controversy. This common controversy, however, has an uncommon culprit — a teacher.
Ranjit Kumar Saha, an associate professor at the Centre, has allegedly changed grades of two of his M. Phil students last month.
The rest of the faculty has recommended a ‘high-level’ inquiry and appropriate action against Saha.
The recommendation was made during a faculty meeting held on January 6. Hindustan Times has a copy of the meeting minutes. Along with Saha, the role of another professor named D.K. Choubey, who was the acting chairperson of the Centre at that time, is also suspect.
According to the minutes of the meeting, “grave alterations” were made to the grades scored by two female students pursuing M. Phil in translation.
While one entry, which read absent, was changed to B plus, another became A-minus from B.
“All this happened when Prof Chaman Lal, the Centre’s chairperson, was away,” said a professor, who did not want to be named.
“The tampering of one girl’s grade was done with the approval of Choubey. The second tampering was noticed immediately once the other grades were also checked,” added the professor.
When contacted by HT, Prof Lal refused to elaborate on the controversy. Saha, too refused to comment.
But, according to the minutes of the faculty meeting, he admitted that he had changed the first grade (absent to B minus) with the advice of acting chairperson D.K. Choubey.
For the second girl, he said he did it “mistakenly”.