Ties with controversial NGO, objectionable tweets, leftist ideology: As IIT Gandhinagar department faces scrutiny, actions of its faculty also raise eyebrows
The controversy involving the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Gandhinagar has expanded from thesis projects to cover programs, sessions, and faculty activities conducted at the institution. The recent information that emerged online, prompting significant questions to which the institute is expected to provide answers, but it continues to assert that the controversy is unwarranted.
At the same time, professors from the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) department at IIT Gandhinagar have come under scrutiny on the social media. An email sent by Professor Nishant Choksi has circulated widely, wherein he threatened students with disciplinary action, and mentions the intention to impose penalties for revealing thesis projects and student information.
OpIndia reached out to Professor Choksi in an attempt to verify this email, but there was no response. Additionally, it has been discovered that he is affiliated with several Non-Governmental Organization (NGOs). A link has been found between NGO Adilok that claims to aid displaced tribal groups in the Narmada area and the Professor. On 12th January, the HSS department of IIT Gandhinagar announced that Nishant Choksi, accompanied by research associate Kalpesh Rathwa, launched books authored in Gujarati at Adilok. The focus of the publication is on the cultural and linguistic transformations experienced by the displaced communities of the Narmada Valley.
Image via OpIndia Gujarati
The board of trustees of the NGO merits attention. The chairman is Father Fernand Durai with Father Vinayak Jadav serving as vice-chairman, Nilesh McEwan as secretary and Antony Pichai as trustees, among others.
Image via OpIndia Gujarati
Concerns are emerging on social media regarding the collaboration of IIT professors with an NGO known for its religious propaganda.
Moreover, another professor named Ashish Xaxa, within the same department has made headlines. He was active on X, but after the controversy broke out, his account is nowhere to be found. His posts also raised concerns among many users. As a result, the account was first locked and then deactivated. Currently, it is not accessible. Ashish Xaxa shared a post featuring two books, “Colonising Kashmir” and “Colonising Palestine” and encouraged people to read them. This sparked a discussion about drawing comparisons between the two regions. “If not Rahul Gandhi then who,” he remarked in another post.
Image via OpIndia Gujarati
He reposted a comment which ridiculed Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. A netizen has accused the professor of employing offensive language towards her before subsequently blocking her.
An inquiry into his background revealed that several of his research papers have been disseminated across different platforms. The most recent publication pertains to the year 2025. The article, entitled “Covid-19 and the Question of Indigenous Migrants in Urban India,” was featured in “Governing the Crisis: Narratives of Covid-19 in India,” which was published in London.
This article focuses on the Corona epidemic and its impact on India. During that period, the circumstances were exceptionally challenging not only for India but globally, during a once in a century crisis. Given India’s vast population, this challenge was significant, yet the nation confronted it amidst considerable difficulties. However, readers of this publication might perceive that the country has utterly failed and that the populace has despaired.
Labeling Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “leader of the Hindu right-wing party” in the piece signifies the ideological perspective that had been embraced. Ashish Xaxa addressed the issues faced by workers in other states resulting from the sudden onset of the epidemic and the subsequent lockdown. Initially, it was claimed that the high mortality rate was due to a deficiency in medical facilities, poverty, water shortages and an insufficient number of doctors. However, the states under the I.N.D.I. Alliance, including Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, received great praise in the article.
Image via OpIndia Gujarati
A narrative was build on the actions taken by Chief Minister Hemant Soren for these workers, claiming his complete commitment to tackle the problem without diverting his attention. However, a realistic assessment shows that all states were actively working during that time, focusing on the pandemic and putting aside other concerns. Limiting the focus to only one or two states produces a storyline that seems trivial upon initial examination, but one can see the propaganda behind it. It had been alleged that Hemant Soren personally looked into these cases. (What were other chief ministers doing)?
“His activism, decision-making ability and clarity created a kind of confidence among the people of Jharkhand. His ability to listen to the person in front is his specialty as a leader,” Ashish Xaxa wrote about Hemant Soren. The initiatives of the Bhupesh Baghel administration in Chhattisgarh were also mentioned. He served as the Chief Minister of the state during the pandemic.
This is merely one instance, yet these professors who subscribe to leftist beliefs have produced a variety of publications. After engaging with their work extensively, one can readily identify their ideological stance.
Read the report in Gujarati here.
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