NEW DELHI: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) here on Saturday denied approaching JNU faculty members for recruitment citing "deteriorating situation in the university".
An e-mail purportedly sent by IIT-Delhi Director V Ramgopal Rao in December to the institutes' deans suggesting recruitment of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) faculty went viral earlier this week.
"There are news items making rounds that IIT-Delhi is actively seeking to recruit faculty from JNU. This narrative is based on an e-mail I am supposed to have sent to heads of departments to encourage them to do so," Rao said in a Facebook post.
"Any sane person would know that there is indeed very little overlap in research areas between JNU and IIT-Delhi. To say that IIT is actively seeking faculty from JNU is far from truth and a distorted way of looking at things," he added.
According to the e-mail purportedly sent by Rao on December 19 last year, "I am receiving feelers from senior JNU faculty showing a willingness to move to IIT-Delhi considering the deteriorating situation in JNU."
"It will be a pity, if we lose out on good talent because of any reason or perception," the said e-mail read.
The institute also issued an official statement on Saturday denying the move.
"It is to clarify that IIT-Delhi has never approached faculty members of the 'specific' educational institution in the country to join us. Recruitment for all positions is through an open advertisement process," it said.