A nationalist think tank’s decision to name an ideological award after late economist Bibek Debroy has sparked controversy after his family said they were not consulted, according to a report by ThePrint.
The ReThink India Institute of Greater Noida recently announced the Bibek Debroy Bharatiya Bauddhik Parampara Samvardhan Prashasti 2025 for Anurag Sharma, managing trustee of the Infinity Foundation, for his essay critical of historian Romila Thapar in the anthology The Ten Heads of Ravana, edited by Hindutva ideologue Rajiv Malhotra and Divya Reddy.
Malhotra celebrated the award on X, writing that the institute was honouring Sharma for his “takedown” of Thapar.
Bibek Debroy’s wife, Suparna, who manages his X handle, replied that she was unaware of the award and found the announcement “very strange”.
Debroy’s family said they had not given permission for his name to be used. The think tank responded online, insisting it did not require approval from Debroy’s “biological family” and accused those questioning it of driving an “egoistic vendetta”.
After Suparna requested that the announcement be taken down, Malhotra deleted his congratulatory post and said he was checking with organisers whether proper permission had been obtained.
Debroy, who died in November 2024 at age 69, was a respected economist who chaired the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council and translated major Indian epics.