Amid the raging controversy of R.K. Pachauri being appointed as the Executive Vice-Chairman at The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), students have refused to accept degrees from him.
Students at TERI University have written a letter to senior officials saying that the batch of 2016 does not want to accept their degrees from Mr. Pachauri as his “continuing presence at the top is completely antithetical to their convictions”.
Around 200 students from the 2013-15 batch are expected to receive their certificates at the convocation of the TERI University in March. Mr. Pachauri is the vice-chancellor of the university. “We would like to make it explicitly clear that we are not in a position to accept our degrees from Dr. Pachauri at the upcoming convocation on March 7,” a letter written to the acting vice-chancellor of TERI University Rajiv Seth and marked to Board of Management reads.
“The recent inaction of our board of management at TERI University with respect to our current chancellor Mr. Pachauri deeply saddens us as alumni and a former student body,” the letter adds. “We are aware of Mr. Pachauri’s immense contributions towards building both TERI and TERI University into what they have become today, and his ability to build global networks, promote the university and institute and to draw funds, projects and grants. Nevertheless, no measure of such contributions can be used to justify alleged criminal behaviour in the form of actions that cause serious harm to another human being,” it reads.
The students also request the university administration to re-consider Mr. Pachauri’s position as the vice-chancellor. The students in their letter have mentioned that the Board of Management has not responded to their requests regarding Mr. Pachauri in the past and given the situation that he has been appointed as the Executive Vice Chairman at TERI, they feel that things are not going to change in the university as well.
