NEW DELHI: A group of scientists, researchers and educators on Friday issued an open letter sharply criticising the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Mandi for hosting a conference that featured discussions on reincarnation, astrology and afterlife communication.
The signatories urged the Ministry of Education to intervene and remove IIT-Mandi director Prof Laxmidhar Behera, alleging that the institute is lending institutional legitimacy to ideas that lack scientific evidence.
The controversy centres on the ‘Mind, Brain and Consciousness Conference 2026,’ organised by IIT-Mandi’s Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications (IKSMHA) Centre from June 3 to 6. The event attracted scrutiny after reports surfaced that attendance had been made mandatory for certain groups of students and faculty members.
In an open letter titled ‘Reject Pseudo-science of Reincarnation and Astrology,’ the researchers argued that several sessions promoted claims that are not supported by established scientific evidence. Particular concern was expressed over a special session on ‘Reincarnation,
Out-of-Body Experiences (OBEs) and Afterlife Communication,’ which examined concepts such as reincarnation, near-death experiences and communication with the deceased.
The signatories alleged that some speakers associated with the conference had links to religious organisations and lacked the scientific credentials necessary to substantiate the claims under discussion.
They also questioned the participation of Prof Behera and IIT-Kanpur faculty member Prof Kunal Mooley, noting that the session was chaired by academics from premier institutions.
According to the letter, there is no accepted scientific evidence supporting reincarnation, afterlife communication or OBEs. The researchers stated that controlled studies conducted over several decades have failed to produce reliable evidence of information transfer beyond the human body.
The letter also dismissed astrology as scientifically invalid, citing studies conducted in India and abroad that found astrologers unable to make predictions with accuracy beyond what could be expected by chance.