The IISER Kolkata authorities on Tuesday constituted an additional anti-ragging cell to “address and oversee” all matters related to ragging, following the suicide of senior research fellow Anamitra Roy of the department of biological sciences.
Roy, who had been autistic since childhood, allegedly faced repeated bullying and ragging by a senior scholar, with his supervisor accused of shielding the perpetrator, instead of intervening.
Sources at IISER Kolkata said the new cell would be headed by Arindam Kundagrami, an associate professor of physical sciences, in addition to the existing anti-ragging committee that had been under the charge of the director of students affairs (DOSA), Ayan Banerjee.
Banerjee, who is the husband of accused supervisor Anindita Bhadra of the biological sciences department, has submitted his resignation.
Kundagrami has reportedly been instructed to report to director Sunil Kumar Khare.
The institute issued an internal order to "close" the laboratory of accused supervisor Bhadra temporarily because of "unavoidable" circumstances. Her students have been asked to report to Professor Supratim Dutta, HoD, with immediate effect.
On the other hand, police have closed the Behaviour & Ecology Lab, which was under the supervision of the accused supervisor. The authorities also appointed Annie Sunita Kerketta, junior assistant (MS), to assist Arindam Kundagrami with the functioning of the new anti-ragging cell.