IIT Patna takes cognisance of purported anti-quota remarks attributed to registrar amid uproar

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Patna has taken notice of alleged anti-quota remarks made in a social media post, which were supposedly authored by the registrar and dean of administration, Awalendra Kumar Thakur. The institute has escalated the issue to higher authorities as a result of the uproar. Director Amit Patra confirmed that the matter is currently under review, and updates will be provided publicly at an appropriate time.

Thakur refuted the allegations, claiming that the controversy was a calculated smear campaign spread through synthetic media. He asserted that fabricated and altered screenshots were being deliberately disseminated to damage his professional reputation. Thakur insisted that he had neither authored nor shared any statements questioning affirmative action.

He vowed to pursue legal action and file a First Information Report (FIR). The prestigious engineering institution has previously filed two separate FIRs over attempts to tarnish its reputation. Thakur's post criticized the Union government for needing to review reservation policies, arguing that the original intention of reservation was a 10-year duration, which has since turned into a political "vote bank" that is detrimental to India's youth and national progress.

The post caused concern on the IIT Patna campus, with some faculty members expressing worry about a potential conflict of interest due to Thakur's role overseeing statutory quota compliance. An activist, Anil Wagde, filed a complaint on behalf of marginalized communities to the IIT Patna Board of Governors chairman, TV Narendran, and Patra, labeling Thakur's purported remarks as derogatory towards these communities and demanding a probe and criminal proceedings under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.