Padma Shri awardee Bimal Roy removed as ISI director

Kolkata: Accusing him of "indiscipline" and expressing apprehension that he may indulge in acts of "administrative and financial impropriety", the ministry of statistics and programme implementation has removed Bimal Roy as director of Indian Statistical Institute (ISI).

Conferred with the Padma Shri award this year, Roy's term as the head of the ISI was set to expire in July. He has been replaced by director-designate Sanghmitra Bandyopadhyay who was scheduled to take charge on August 1.

"There is justified and a reasonable apprehension that the present director Dr B. Roy may indulge in propagation of indiscipline and mischief, including acts of administrative and financial impropriety in the interregnum up to July 31, 2015 (before the new director Prof S. Bandyopadhayay takes charge on August 1, 2015)," read the order by the ministry dated June 10.

Signed by Deputy Director General S. Hazra, the order also said Roy will "stand divested of all administrative, financial and other powers and duties of Director, ISI with effect from afternoon on June 10, 2015".

"A number of general and specific matters of financial and administrative irregularities which show the direct or supervisory responsibilities for acts of omission or commission on the part of Roy are available in the ministry in various files on different subjects," said the order.

With a Ph.D. in combinatorics and optimization from the University of Waterloo, Roy was appointed as the ISI director in August 2010.

Despite repeated attempts, IANS could not contact Roy for his version on the devleopments as the calls went unanswered.