With his dismissal as director, Sahadeb Sarkar became the third IIM director to do so in three years prior to his tenure ending.
Sahadeb Sarkar, the director-in-charge of the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (IIM-C), was fired after a sexual harassment allegation was made against him, the institute announced.
In a statement released late on Tuesday night, the institute stated that the charges against Sarkar are being looked into and that it took action against him based on the internal complaints committee’s (ICC) suggestion.
Professor Saibal Chattopadhyay, the next most senior faculty member, was named director-in-charge by the IIM-C with immediate effect.
“A written complaint under the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act) against the former Director-in-Charge, professor Sahadeb Sarkar, has been received by the institute’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). The Board of Governors (BoG) has been informed by the ICC that the complaint appears to warrant a formal investigation, the institute said.
The action was done to guarantee “impartiality” in order to ensure that the investigation complies with natural justice standards.
“During the pendency of formal inquiry before the ICC and any proceedings arising therefrom or incidental thereto, professor Sahadeb Sarkar shall not continue in the office of Director-in-Charge and shall be removed from the said post and any other position wherein he has administrative charges at IIM Calcutta,” the statement reads. “The IIM-C Board of Governors held a special meeting on January 6, 2024, and accepted the recommendation of the ICC.”
With his dismissal, Sarkar becomes the third IIM director in three years to resign before his time is up.
Prior to this, in August 2023, Uttam Kumar Sarkar announced his resignation as director, having completed just two of his five-year tenure. In the fourth year of her tenure, then-director Anju Seth resigned in March 2021.