Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV) has informed three scientists chosen for an honorary DSc that the degree could not be conferred on them because governor C.V. Ananda Bose has withheld approval on the grounds that it could lead to allegations of “bias” and “nepotism”.
The governor is ex officio chancellor of the university in Nadia’s Mohanpur.
One of the three scientists, who was formally invited to receive the degree, said the “rejection in such a way” was humiliating.
The governor’s decision has triggered resentment on the campus with many teachers, researchers and students saying the move had “dishonoured” the academic community.
“We had selected three scientists for the honorary DSc — Chittaranjan Kole, Tapas Kumar Kundu and Himanshu Pathak. Their names were sent to the governor for approval,” an official at BCKV said.
“The governor had initially approved the proposal to award the honorary degree to Kole, but later rejected all three proposals. We have informed all three eminent scientists about the governor’s decision and apologised to them.”
The 15-member executive council of the university had unanimously recommended Kole, Kundu and Pathak for the honorary DSc degree, which was to be awarded to them at the convocation scheduled for May 19.
Kole, a former VC of Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya, is an expert in genomics and biotechnology. Kundu is a molecular biologist and director of the Central Drug Research Institute.
Pathak is director of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research and secretary of the department of agricultural research and education of the Union government.
Sources said the governor talked to vice-chancellor Subhendu Bikash Goswami after receiving the three names. He expressed his reservations about the names.
However, an official at Raj Bhavan later informed the VC that Bose had given his nod to the proposal to award the degree to Kole.
“Once we got the nod, we invited Professor Kole to attend the convocation. But on Tuesday, the governor’s office told us that Professor Kole could not be given the award. I called him (Kole) up and apologised to him,” said Goswami.
“I am helpless…. The governor categorically said awarding the degree to the three scientists could raise allegations of bias and nepotism.”
A call from this newspaper to Raj Bhavan went unanswered.
According to the governor, conferring the award on Pathak could have conveyed a wrong message because he, as director of ICAR, is associated with research at universities across the country, said Goswami.
“Professor Kole is a former VC of our university. So the governor thinks an award to him could lead to allegations of nepotism and bias. The governor made similar observations about Tapas Kumar Kundu,” Goswami said.
Kole told The Telegraph: “An award at this stage in life makes little difference, but a rejection in such a way is quite humiliating.”
Pranab Chattopadhyay, a senior scientist and a former member of the executive committee, termed the governor’s decision as “unfortunate”.