Sibal’s exam plan splits IITs, Delhi- Bombay to go Kanpur way

June 10, 2012

sibal

New Delhi/Mumbai, June 10: The HRD ministry's decision to hold an all-inclusive common engineering test appears to have split the Indian Institutes of Technology vertically. Indications are that IIT Delhi and Bombay could back IIT Kanpur in holding their own entrance test while Madras, Roorkee, Kharagpur and Guwahati will stand by the Centre's decision.

If the current wave of resentment among faculty, which gathered momentum on Saturday, a day after IITK's decision, is backed by their respective senates, it would add to the raft of entrance tests students take after their boards. IITK's senate called the HRD ministry's decision on admissions "academically and methodically unsound". Faculty members in Delhi and Bombay also expressed resentment that the concerns raised by them, including the 2014 roll-out, were not addressed by the HRD ministry.

All India IIT Faculty Federation secretary Prof A K Mittal said, "The IIT Kanpur's decision should not be seen in isolation. We are talking to all IITs and there is resentment among them on the fact that the IITs will not conduct their own exam and that the introduction has been scheduled for 2013 despite our reservations on the preparedness."

But IIT Guwahati director Gautam Barua criticised IITK senate's decision. "I am sad that they have to take this extreme step for such a small matter. Right now, we are not talking about one common entrance test. We are basically talking about... having a common exam for NITs, IITs and IIITs. Whether this leads to a common exam for everybody, only time will tell," he said. His IIT Kharagpur counterpart Damodar Acharya said the institution did not have any objection to the Centre's move.

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News Network
October 21,2024

khalistan.jpg

Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on Monday warned passengers not to fly on Air India flights from November 1 to 19. He asserted that an attack could take place on an Air India flight during the specified dates, which coincide with the "40th anniversary of the Sikh genocide".

The founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), who holds dual citizenship in Canada and the US, had issued a similar threat around the same time last year.

Pannun's fresh threat comes amid several airlines in India receiving multiple threat calls about potential bombings, all of which turned out to be hoaxes. It also occurred at a time when India and Canada are engaged in a murky diplomatic row following Canada's allegations of India targeting Khalistani elements in the country, including the murder of another terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In November 2023, Pannun released a video claiming that Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport would be renamed and would remain closed on November 19, warning people against flying on Air India that day. The National Investigation Agency charged him with criminal conspiracy, promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, and various offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

In December last year, Pannun threatened to attack the Parliament on or before December 13, following reports of an alleged foiled plot to kill him. December 13 marks the anniversary of the terrorist attack on the Parliament in 2001.

He also threatened to kill Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Director General of State Police Gaurav Yadav on Republic Day this year. He also urged gangsters to unite and launch an attack on Mann on January 26.

Pannun has been designated a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs since July 2020 on charges of sedition and secessionism, as he leads SFJ, a group advocating for a separate sovereign Sikh state. A year prior to this, India banned SFJ as an "unlawful association" for engaging in "anti-national and subversive" activities.

In another development, on October 17, the United States charged a former officer of India's spy agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun, a charge New Delhi has rejected as baseless allegations.

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News Network
October 22,2024

Several Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) schools across India were hit with hoax bomb threats on Tuesday, just days after an explosion occurred near a CRPF school in Delhi. The threats, sent via email late Monday night, targeted schools in Delhi and Hyderabad, according to sources.

Earlier this week, a bomb exploded outside a CRPF school in Delhi’s Rohini area, causing significant damage to nearby vehicles and property. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries were reported.

In response to the blast, Delhi Police confiscated CCTV footage from nearby markets as part of their investigation. Sources indicate that surveillance footage captured a suspect at the scene, wearing a white T-shirt, displaying suspicious behavior the night before the explosion.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the explosive device had been hidden in a polythene bag, buried in a shallow pit, and covered with garbage. The blast caused a hole in the school's boundary wall and shattered the window panes and signboards of nearby shops.

Following the incident, the Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under Section 4 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Section 3 of the Indian Explosives Act, and other relevant sections.

The FIR states, "A case of an explosion caused by an unknown explosive substance has been registered, and the investigation continues." It also details the damage, noting that the blast left a hole in the boundary wall and affected nearby structures.

The targeted schools serve children from CRPF and other paramilitary families, and the recent threats have heightened concerns. In response, Delhi authorities have placed the city on high alert, ramping up security measures, especially in markets, ahead of the Diwali festival. 

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