Former students of IIT Kharagpur who shared the Radhakrishnan Hall of Residence, one of the male students’ hostel on the campus, with Subir Chaki said they would remember ‘Subirda’ as a ‘saviour’ who would shield the freshers from ragging.
The managing director of Kilburn Engineering Ltd was found murdered along with his driver on Sunday night at his house on Kankulia Road, off Golpark, that he was planning to sell.
Chaki had graduated from IIT Kharagpur in mechanical engineering in 1983 and stayed at the Radhakrishnan Hall of Residence, known as ‘RK hall’ on the campus.
A former student who stayed at RK hall and was junior to Chaki by two years said juniors would always take refuge in his room because ‘Subirda’ opposed ragging.
“In the mid-1980s, IIT Kharagpur was notorious for ragging. For us, the best way to evade the torture was to remain untraceable. We would sneak into Subirda’s room. He was opposed to ragging. He would never give away our location,” said the former student, who had graduated in civil engineering. He refused to be named.
According to him, the first month at IIT Kharagpur was considered the ‘ragging period’ back then. Freshers would dread this period as seniors would unleash torture on them, he said.
“But there were a few in the hall who condemned ragging and Subirda was among them. I remember he would personally escort us from the hall to classrooms and the library so seniors wouldn't dare touch us. His presence would make all the difference. After the classes, he would escort us back to the hostel. He was our saviour,” said the former student, who is in his late-50s and lives in Kolkata.
He had shared the news of Chaki’s murder on a WhatsApp group of former IIT students.
Another alumnus who stayed in the same hostel said Chaki would discuss current affairs and sports with juniors when they would take shelter in his room.
“We felt so safe in his company. He was focused on his studies. The idea of ragging a junior never crossed his mind. In fact he passed on the legacy, which made us resolve that we would never rag our juniors and would protect them the way Subirda protected us,” he said.
A professor at the IIT said a ‘revenge mindset’ would develop among the freshers those days and they would in turn inflict torture on their juniors.
“Some students even had to quit the institute, unable to withstand ragging,” he said.
Kabindra Daga, who had stayed at the Lala Rajpat Rai Hall of Residence and graduated in 1985, said the anti-ragging mindset that was nurtured at RK hall would later permeate to other hostels.
Daga, a former president of IIT Kharagpur Alumni Association’s Calcutta Chapter, saw Chaki from close quarters when he was vice-president of the association from 2010 to 2012.
“He played a proactive role in organising the mentorship programme for the IIT students on behalf of the association. We would call a section of students to Kolkata and the mentorship would be held through a get-together. The programme was intended to let the students discuss their career prospects with the alumni attached with industry. Subirda always sought to help the students in whatever way possible,” said Daga.