ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
site_logo
  • Campus
  • Happening
  • Opinion
  • People
  • News
  • #BeInspired
  • Careers
  • 40 under 40
  • Exams
  • What The FAQ
  • Videos
    • Straight Up
    • Odisha Literary Festival 2020
    • Campus Convo
    • Careers After Corona
    • Express Expressions
    • Q&A With Prabhu Chawla
    • ThinkEdu Awards 2020
  • Web Stories
  • edex_worksEDEXWORKS
ADVERTISEMENT
IIMC

Published: 04th November 2020     

Why trigger a row now? : IIMC Director General over appointment of prof who called Gandhi the 'Father of Pakistan'


Anil Kumar Saumitra, the former Madhya Pradesh BJP IT Cell chief was suspended from the party after he called Mahatma Gandhi the 'Father of Pakistan'

Parvathi Benu
Edex Live
f_icon t_icon i_icon l_icon koo_icon whatsapp_icon email_icon Google News

Share Via Email

download_(5)

Anil Saumitra

"He was the father of the nation, but of Pakistan. The country had crores of sons like him, some were worthy, some unworthy," Anil Saumitra, a little over a year ago, wrote on his Facebook wall about Mahatma Gandhi. At that time, he was the head of the Madhya Pradesh BJP Media Cell. Undoubtedly, this had stirred up a controversy, which led to the ruling party suspending his primary membership in May 2019.

Saumitra made it to the news a week back when reports of him being appointed as a professor of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication came out, creating a lot of hue and cry. The government-run media institute, however, was quite unfazed by it. "The said incident happened in the past. It did not happen after he took charge as an IIMC professor," said IIMC's recently appointed Director General Sanjay Dwivedi. "Why should it be a big deal or create a controversy?" he asked, adding that the issue is over. 

Saumitra did not respond to the calls made to him seeking comment on this issue. While talking to NDTV after his Facebook post created a controversy, he said, "Nobody known or unknown has the honour of being the father of India. So Mahatma Gandhi could be the father of the nation but of Pakistan. Everyone is proud to be the son of the Indian motherland." Prior to the 2019 incident, he triggered a row in 2013, when the magazine Charaiveti ran an article alleging the church of molesting nuns. Saumitra was the magazine's editor at that time. 

The appointment has reportedly been criticised by various IIMC alumni and academics.

telegram
TAGS
IIMC Mahatma Gandhi

O
P
E
N

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
telegram
ADVERTISEMENT
Write to us!

If you have campus news, views, works of art, photos or just want to reach out to us, just drop us a line.

newsletter_icon
Mailbox
edexlive@gmail.com
fb_icon
Facebook
twitter_icon
Twitter
insta_icon
Instagram
ADVERTISEMENT
Facebook
ADVERTISEMENT
Tweets by Xpress_edex
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

FOLLOW US

The New Indian Express | The Morning Standard | Dinamani | Kannada Prabha | Samakalika Malayalam | Cinema Express | Indulgexpress | Events Xpress

Contact Us | About Us | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use

Home | Live Now | Live Story | Campus Trip | Coach Calling | Live Take

Copyright - edexlive.com 2023. All rights reserved. Website Designed, Developed & Maintained by Express Network Private Ltd.