IIM Calcutta is facing a deepening administrative crisis with its chief administrative officer seeking voluntary retirement and the director, Prof. Alok Kumar Rai, reportedly at odds with the Board of Governors chairman, Shrikrishna G. Kulkarni.

Alok Chandra, the institute’s chief administrative officer, submitted his voluntary retirement request to the Board of Governors last week, seeking to be relieved by November 30 —two years before his tenure ends. Sources say Chandra is uncomfortable with the director’s functioning style, though his request has not yet been accepted.

Chandra could not be contacted for his comments.

Meanwhile, director Rai — who took charge just three months ago on July 30 — met senior ministry of education officials in Delhi on Monday. During a two-hour meeting, sources said, he expressed displeasure over the Board of Governors’ decision-making process, which he believes is overly influenced by chairman Kulkarni.

Rai is reportedly frustrated on multiple fronts: the Board’s lack of support for his proposal to relocate the innovation park from the Joka campus to a new New Town site, and the delay in arranging suitable accommodation for him over the past two months. There is speculation that he may step down, though the government is working to address the crisis.

The turmoil comes as the institute continues its academic operations. On Tuesday, IIM Calcutta welcomed its first batch of Executive Doctoral (PhD) students at an event attended by Prof. Bhaskar Chakrabarti, who was listed as Director (Acting) in the institute’s LinkedIn announcement.

This crisis marks a troubling pattern for IIM Calcutta. Over the past seven years, the institute has had only two regular directors, both of whom resigned after approximately two years in office. Prof. Anju Seth, who resigned in 2021, also complained about interference in day-to-day operations by the Board of Governors under Kulkarni’s chairmanship.

Kulkarni’s continuation as chairman has itself become contentious. The chairpersons of about a dozen IIMs, including IIM Calcutta, completed their regular terms in 2022. Before those terms ended, the ministry of education directed the IIMs to extend their chairpersons’ tenures by one year while it developed procedures for forming Search-cum-Selection Committees for new appointments.

Notably, there is no provision in either the IIM Act of 2017 or its 2023 amendment for extending incumbent chairpersons’ terms. Nevertheless, most IIMs, including IIM Calcutta, complied with the government directive.

In July 2023, the ministry sent another letter requesting a six-month extension or continuation until new Search-cum-Selection Committee procedures were finalised. The amended law, which came into force in August2023, states that the Visitor will nominate chairpersons. However, the government has yet to appoint new chairpersons at these institutions, except for providing a formal extension to the IIM Rohtak chairman.

An IIM Calcutta official indicated that the government does not want Prof. Rai to step down as director at this time