After ‘open letter’ to Corporate India by profs, retired bureaucrats, veterans, officials write to IIMB chairman

BENGALURU: More than two weeks after a group of 17 professors retired and serving professors of IIM Bangalore, wrote an open letter appealing to Corporate India to ‘de-fund the spread of misinformation and hate speech through news channels and social media’, a group of 23 retired bureaucrats, IPS and IFS officers and defence personnel have written to the IIMB chairman to adivse the signatories of the open letter “to understand the larger picture and realise the real challenges faced by the country at this juncture”.

In the letter to Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairman, Board of Governors of IIM Bengaluru, the retired officers have appealed to him “to ensure that no such incidents of dubious nature happen in the sacred campus of IIM Bengaluru again”.

In the letter, they said, “…as you are aware, IIM Bengaluru was established in 1973 is the third IIM in the country. During the checkered history of 50 years, IIM, Bengaluru evolved as one of the premium Public Business Schools in India, thanks to the commitment, dedication and hardwork of hundreds of teachers, students, notably the support of Government of India and the Government of Karnataka from time to time. Through the IIM Act of 2017, Govt of India conferred the status of Institution of National Importance to all IIMs in order to empower these Institutions to achieve standards of global excellence in management, management research and other allied academic activities comprehensively”.

“The long term vision and strategy of Govt of India is most laudable effort in strengthening and consolidating these Institutions on a sustainable basis. The motto of IIM Bengaluru ‘Tejasvi Naavadhitamastu’ meaning ‘Let our Study be Enlightening’ adopted from Upanishads aptly sums up the approach and perspective of an academic institution in all respects”.

“In this context, we, the concerned citizens, retired from IAS, IPS, IFS, IRS and Veterans from Defence Services residing in Karnataka are appalled to notice a so-called open letter purported to have been written by a group of 17 faculty members including six retired persons, addressed to Corporate India. The very title of the letter that says ‘to defund hate speech’ reflects their bankrupt mindset and ideological bias”.

“Further, the said letter liberally uses the words, old cliche and terminology such as ‘increasing risk of violent conflicts’, ‘hatred towards minorities’, ‘genocide’, ‘annihilation of social fabric’ and ‘silence of authorities’. The letter also appeals to Corporate India ‘stop funding hate’, ‘support responsible stakeholders’, ‘curate a welcoming work culture’ and ‘use your voice for fraternity’. Ironically, the letter in conclusion says ‘signed by the following faculty on their personal capacity'”, they said.

“As officers and veterans who worked closely with many academic Institutions including Universities and other Centers of Excellence, during the service as well as after retirement, we fully understand the importance of academic autonomy and dignity of an educational institution”.

“Suppose another set of faculty members and students from IIM Bengaluru come out with a statement countering the viewpoint of those faculty members who addressed a letter to Corporate India, there will be more such cases of arguments and counter arguments that ultimately vitiate the academic atmosphere as well as lead to avoidable conflicts in the campus”.

“Knowing the rich history of IIM, Bengaluru and it’s excellent academic atmosphere, we are alarmed that this is not going to be first instance of this nature and our silence will trigger similar activities and similar statements/ letters from chest thumping and rabble rousing, so-called, academicians, that will damage, irreparably, the credibility and reputation of IIM, Bengaluru and discredit the harmonious atmosphere in Karnataka”.

“We understand that there are hundreds of dedicated faculty members in IIM Bengaluru who are known for their academic excellence, decades of experience and world class expertise who are aware and fully appreciate the significant efforts that are going on in the country under the able statemanly leadership for nation building”.

“Indeed academic autonomy sounds good in an ideal situation but said autonomy comes with tremendous responsibility and accountability. If the space and academic autonomy existing in the IIM Bengaluru and similar Institutions of higher learning is misused, it will lead to anarchy and social instability. The careless words used by one set of Professors who addressed a so-called open letter to Corporate India, are totally counter productive as it will adversely affect the social fabric and will further fuel conflicts”.

“The open letter to Corporate India, though looks incongrous but actually shrouded under an heinous agenda, that will definitely push a misleading narrative and strengthen the anti-national elements that are bent upon sabotaging the sincere efforts of Government of India and various departments that are on the path of facilitating an unprecedented growth and all-round development in social, economic, educational, cultural and political arena. In the guise of ‘supporting responsible stakeholders’ the intention of the said signatories is to encourage disruptive forces and destabilise India”.

“When authorities are so proactive and prompt in curbing the incidents of violence wherever occurred with iron hand within the framework of law, the generalized statement that that authorities are ‘silent’ will have a demoralising affect on the law enforcement agencies. The so-called hollow fears of the signatories is nothing but a figment of imagination and reflects their diabolical agenda to weaken the resolve of the people and forces who are toiling day and night to fulfill the dream and goals of Amrit Kaal”.

“The Mantra ‘Reform, Transform and Perform’ is a non-negotiable principle, that has already showing the galloping progress of, India that is Bharat, in economic, social, educational, cultural and all other spheres of the national life cutting across all the artificial barriers of caste, creed, region, religion, gender and language. The progress achieved by India for the past decade in complex fields such as education, health, rural empowerment, social harmony, communications, road/rail/air connectivity, science and technology, research and development and urban infrastructure is most visible and appreciated by one and all”, the letter said.

“We are confident that Corporate India is fully aware of ground realities and will not be carried away by the uninvited advise of armchair academicians who are living in a self-imposed ignorance and typically ‘ we know all’ arrogance. The Corporate India, as partners in economic progress of our country, always stood by national endeavour and contributing to the genuine efforts for realizing the dream of India becoming “Viswa Guru”.

“The Corporate India is totally in agreement with the vision and the roadmap in making India a $5 trillion economy with substantial steps such as focus on inclusive growth, promotion of digital economy, vibrant fintech, technology-enabled development, energy transition and climate action, and relying on a virtuous cycle of investment and growth. All this is possible due to the dedication, commitment and hardwork of every Bharatiya particularly the enlightened Corporate India”.

“To conclude, we request you to advise the signatories, though they pretentiously claim to have written in their ‘personal capacity’, of so-called open letter to Corporate India, to come to their senses, understand the larger picture and realize the real challenges faced by the country at this juncture. We also appeal to you to ensure that no such incidents of dubious nature happen in the sacred campus of IIM Bengaluru again. We are marking a copy of this letter to the Minister for Education, Government of India, Secretary in the Ministry and Director of IIM Bangalore to take appropriate action as deemed fit”, the letter read.

The signatories include:
1. K.Sreedhar Rao IAS Retired, former Chief Secretary, Govt of Sikkim and former Security
Advisor, Govt of India
2. S.L.Gangadharappa, IAS Retired, former Principal Secretary, Govt of Karnataka
3. M. Madan Gopal, IAS Retired, former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of Karnataka
4. P.B.Ramamurthy, IAS Retired and former Additional Chief Secretary, Govt of Karnataka
5. M.Lakshminarayana, IAS Retired, former Additional Chief Secretary,Govt of Karnataka
6. Ramesh Zalki, IAS Retired, former Secretary of State, Govt of Karnataka
7. N.Prabhakar, IAS Retired, former Secretary Govt of Karnataka
8. M.N.Krishnamurthy, IPS Retired, former DGP, Govt of Kerala
9. Gopal Hosur, IPS Retired, former IGP, Govt of Karnataka
10. Bhaskar Rao, IPS Retired, former Commissioner of Police, Bengaluru,Govt of Karnataka
11. Brij Kishore Singh, IFS Retired, former PCCF (HoFF), Govt of Karnataka
12.. Ganesh Sugur, IFS Retired, former PCCF (HoFF), Govt of Karnataka
13. R.M.N.Sahai, IFS Retired former PCCF, Govt of Karnataka
14. Kanwerpal, IFS Retired, former PCCF, Govt of Karnataka
15. Kishan Singh Sugara, IFS Retired, former PCCF (HoFF) Govt of Karnataka
16. Indu B Srivastava, IFS Retired, former PCCF, Govt of Karnataka
17. Narendra Deo Tiwari, IFS Retired, former Additional PCCF, Govt of Karnataka
18. Dr.R.Raju, IFS Retired former Additional PCCF, Govt of Karnataka
19. SP Singh, Veteran, former Air Marshal
20. KN Mirji, Veteran, former Major General
21. Vikas Yajurvedi, Veteran, former Air Vice Marshal
22. Rajiv Kalra, Veteran, former Major General
23. Dr Prakash JP, IRS Retired, former Deputy Commissioner