PhD scholar alleges harassment by professor at IIT Delhi, suffers emotional distress

A PhD scholar from Calcutta at IIT Delhi has alleged harassment by his supervisor and restricted access to research facilities, affecting his academic progress and pushing him towards an emotional crisis.

Rahul Moitra on Monday appealed for speedy resolution of his long-pending complaint against the professor, who supervises his research in the mechanical engineering department, in a post on LinkedIn.

The allegations come amid student suicides at IIT Delhi and questions about institutional support for students in distress.

Moitra, a medal recipient from Jadavpur University, joined IIT Delhi in 2023. He has since published six research articles, including two as first author related to his PhD research.

In April, he complained of misconduct by his supervisor, alleging that the professor had resorted to unethical means to help a student in an exam. He approached the institute’s grievance committee seeking a change of supervisor and disciplinary action against the professor. IIT sources said the committee had recommended that an additional notional supervisor or co-supervisor be appointed without replacing the principal supervisor. Moitra has yet to accept this.

In his post, Moitra alleged that he had faced “retaliation, disputed allegations, and attempts to damage” his reputation since filing the complaint.

“I am concerned that my past mental-health history has been used to discredit me rather than address my concerns. Despite repeated emails and meetings, I await a satisfactory resolution. Restricted access to essential research facilities has severely affected my PhD progress,” he wrote.

Moitra said he relied on the institute assistantship to support his family. “I come from a financially disadvantaged family and am its sole earning member. Prolonged delays threaten my research, career, and family’s financial security,” he wrote.

“This is not a call for revenge. I have refrained from naming individuals. I seek accountability, not humiliation.”

An email seeking IIT Delhi director Rangan Banerjee’s response went unanswered on Monday.