No ‘IIM education’ for three IIM Indore students expelled for consuming drugs
The three students of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Indore who were expelled from the institute on Friday are not permitted to seek admission to IIMI or any other IIM for two years. This rule will apply to any other new IIM which may come up in that time. In effect, this means that unless the students are willing to wait for two years, their MBA dreams have come to a nought. Unless of course, some private MBA institute is willing to take on the students.
The students have been expelled for two years for consuming drugs in their hostel room. They were caught red-handed on November 21 by faculty member (also hostel-in-charge) Prof Siddharth Rastogi.
Post the incident, IIMI officials constituted a disciplinary committee comprising for four senior professors. It is this committee which recommended that the students be expelled. The three students did appeal to the director Dr N. Ravichandran to hold the expulsion but it was denied. Dr Akhtar Pravez, the spokesman for IIMI said that only the director has the powers to veto the decision taken by the committee. “Since the director did not accept their plea, there was no way they could continue as students here,” said Dr Parvez.
It may be recalled that last year two students of IIMI were expelled for six months for taking drugs. Of the two, one student returned to the campus, post the expulsion period.
While it is not clear what the drugs were, it is believed to be Ganja. When asked whether the decision taken was too harsh, a faculty member from IIMI admitted that it was. “But rules are rules and if they are broken, action needs to be taken.” Dr Parvez said that IIMI is very strict with issues such as drugs, alcohol. “We do not permit any on the campus, so anybody found to be consuming either, is pulled up and action is promptly taken.”
PaGaLGuY spoke to professors of other institutes and also a couple of students on this issue. While all spoke on the condition of anonymity, the general refrain was that the punishment of a 2-year ban was harsh. “There are parties on the campus so often. While officially no drinks may be allowed, that drinks flow easily is known to faculty of the institute,” said one student.
Another said that, had the three students consumed the drugs outside the campus or during a party, the issue would have not made so much news.” A student from another IIM said that banning them from admission to an IIM is severe but may be the best way to send the message across.
A faculty member of an institute said that it is illegal to consume drugs and it is only natural that action is taken. “Yes, students have parties and alcohol is consumed but it is expected that since they are adults they know how to look after themselves. Hostel rooms cannot be allowed for consumption of drugs. It is anyway illegal in our country.”
It may be recalled that in 2010, 489 students from Symbiosis institutes in Pune were picked up by the police for consuming alcohol at a rave party on the Pune-Sholapur national highway. More than 90 students who tested positive for alcohol were arrested.
PaGaLGuY.com had spoken to the DySp, Ravindra Singh Pardesi of Pune Rural Police then, (who investigated the case). His explanation was simple. “We are not against students partying or having a good time. They are studying for their MBA so I guess they are mature. All they had to do was procure an alcohol license and also keep the noise levels to the required level so that neighbours would not be disturbed. It is the neighbours who called and alerted us about this party.”