An IIT Kharagpur order has asked a doctor to oversee the administrative activities of “Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research” with “immediate effect”.

The directive has prompted a section of teachers and alumni to point out that the medical establishment has been “surreptitiously” named after the Jana Sangh founder although President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam had in 2007 laid the foundation stone for a facility dedicated to Dr B.C. Roy, the builder of modern Bengal.

The IIT director had last month said Prime Minister Narendra Modi would virtually inaugurate the Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research on February 23 on the occasion of the institute’s convocation. Amid a furore over the renaming, Modi did not inaugurate the medical institute on February 23 although no reason was cited.

The inauguration plaque — on which “Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research” was written — was wrapped in a white piece of cloth after that.

Now, the order signed by IIT registrar Tamal Nath says: “The undersigned is to convey that the director has been pleased to approve that… will oversee the administrative activities of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research….”

Nath, who had said last week that the inauguration was “deferred” for some “technical reasons”, signed an office order on March 1 that says: “Dr Prasanta Kumar Shannigrahi, Head, B.C. Roy Technology Hospital, will oversee the administrative activities of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research… with immediate effect until further order.”

The IIT now provides indoor and outdoor medical facilities for common ailments at the BC Roy Technology Hospital, located on the campus. The new facility, a superspeciality hospital and research centre, is outside the main campus.

Ajay Kumar Roy, a former head of the school of medical science and research at IIT Kharagpur and among the signatories of a letter to the Prime Minister against the renaming, said Tuesday’s order had “surprised” them.

“Since the Prime Minister did not inaugurate the hospital, we hoped that the superspecialty hospital would continue to be known as Dr B.C. Roy Institute of Medical Sciences and Research. But we are surprised by the contents of the order,” Roy told The Telegraph.

“We explained to the PM why it would be incongruous to rename the facility, given the role Dr B.C. Roy had played in shaping this IIT,” he added.

The recipients of the IIT’s office order include “all medical officers and staff members of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Sciences and Research”.

Sabyasachi Sengupta, a former professor of electrical engineering at IIT Kharapur, said: “This suggests that they have already got the facility registered afresh after Dr Syama Prasad Mookjerjee. It’s just that the plaque has not been unveiled. It will continue to baffle all why a facility was renamed after someone who has nothing to do with medicine.”

Asked about the order, registrar Tamal Nath said on Tuesday: “It’s an internal administrative decision.”

Asked whether the order signalled a formal renaming, he said: “An OPD facility is being run there for the past two months. The head of the existing BC Roy Technology Hospital will look after that only. That is our internal administrative decision.”

Nath had earlier said the institute’s board of governors had approved the renaming. Calls and text messages from this newspaper to IIT director V.K. Tewari went unanswered.

The superspeciality hospital has been built on an 18-acre plot at Balarampur, just outside the IIT campus, as part of the institute’ plan to open a medical college.

A former student of IIT Kharagpur who had commented on the Facebook page of director Tewari against the renaming said: “Now we have to again launch another protest against this surreptitious renaming.”