Justice for Dr Debojyoti Das
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Dear friends, family and well-wishers,
My husband Debojyoti Das came to UK in September 2007 to do his PhD in Social Anthropology from one of the most renowned higher education institution in London, The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), part of the University of London. The Felix Foundation Scholarship funded his PhD; a esteemed grant given to gifted underprivileged Indian students after a tough selection process. He successfully defended his thesis in 2012 and came out with flying colours. Dr Das thesis was funded by several other significant dissertation writing up and fieldwork grants. The PhD programme posed many challenges to Dr Das. He was sick with tuberculosis just before he went back to do fieldwork in India. In 2009, while conducting field research in Nagaland he and his colleagues were taken hostage by Naga militias in Tuensang district and nearly lost his life. He overcame all these insurmountable hazards and completed his degree in four years. Soon after his PhD, Birkbeck College employed Dr Das as the sole Post-Doctoral Associate in the major European Research Commission funded “Coastal Frontiers” project. The job contract was signed for a fixed term of five years (2012-16). During his tenure in Birkbeck College, Dr Das taught modules in ‘Environment and Development’ to undergraduate B. A students in Geography, Environment and Development Studies Department.
Nonetheless, as chance will have it he was made redundant in June 2015, because of the PI’s move to Harvard University. The matter was challenged and taken up with the university tribunal through the University Trade Union. However there was no redressal of the unfair dismissal. The university made an insignificant enhanced redundancy payment to save their back and reluctantly made the accrued holiday payment. My husband lost everything- his job, students, pension contribution and the academic space in the university. He was dejected by the system but kept his spirits up while applying for academic jobs in UK.
This was just the beginning of our ill faith. Soon after his redundancy the leave to remain in the UK was curtailed by the UKBA. We applied for the extension of his visa on the ground of discretionary leave to remain, family and private life as he was in the midst of preparing a monograph and several journal articles and book chapters were in the pipeline. The Secretary of State disallowed the application with no grounds for appeal and has asked him to leave UK at the earlier. We have already spent lot of money in solicitor fees. Now the time has come for seeking justice and we hope to do a Judicial Review of the Home Office decision as he has a rightful claim to stay in the UK being married to a British citizen and more importantly for his contribution to UK academia and his field of study. We need educated, intelligent and hard work people like my husband to stay and contribute to our higher education and research environment. He has been funded for his research work from UK taxpayer’s money.
Since the Home Office rejection of his application in November 2015 he is not allowed to work as his leave to remain has expired. We have a serious financial crunch and we need your support to win the verdict of the High Court and quash the Home Office decision. My husband pledges to reciprocate all generous gifts through presenting each donator a souvenir of victory for justice and to organise an exhibition when all the donators will be invited to witness his visual presentation of research work among marginal seafarers in South Asia.
Congratulations to Debojyoti Das on completion of his PhD !
Deboyoti Das’s PhD thesis ‘Contested Development: Problems and Dilemmas in Sustainable Jhum Redevelopment in Nagaland’ was passed on Tuesday 20th Dec by his examiners, Professor Brian Morris (Goldsmiths) and Dr Satish Kumar (Queen's University Belfast). Produced from difficult fieldwork and archival research and within the new PhD timeframe, Debojyoti’s is a great achievement. Congratulations to him!
Professor David Mosse, FBA (SOAS, University of London), 22nd December 2011. (Source: SOAS website)
My husband Debojyoti Das came to UK in September 2007 to do his PhD in Social Anthropology from one of the most renowned higher education institution in London, The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), part of the University of London. The Felix Foundation Scholarship funded his PhD; a esteemed grant given to gifted underprivileged Indian students after a tough selection process. He successfully defended his thesis in 2012 and came out with flying colours. Dr Das thesis was funded by several other significant dissertation writing up and fieldwork grants. The PhD programme posed many challenges to Dr Das. He was sick with tuberculosis just before he went back to do fieldwork in India. In 2009, while conducting field research in Nagaland he and his colleagues were taken hostage by Naga militias in Tuensang district and nearly lost his life. He overcame all these insurmountable hazards and completed his degree in four years. Soon after his PhD, Birkbeck College employed Dr Das as the sole Post-Doctoral Associate in the major European Research Commission funded “Coastal Frontiers” project. The job contract was signed for a fixed term of five years (2012-16). During his tenure in Birkbeck College, Dr Das taught modules in ‘Environment and Development’ to undergraduate B. A students in Geography, Environment and Development Studies Department.
Nonetheless, as chance will have it he was made redundant in June 2015, because of the PI’s move to Harvard University. The matter was challenged and taken up with the university tribunal through the University Trade Union. However there was no redressal of the unfair dismissal. The university made an insignificant enhanced redundancy payment to save their back and reluctantly made the accrued holiday payment. My husband lost everything- his job, students, pension contribution and the academic space in the university. He was dejected by the system but kept his spirits up while applying for academic jobs in UK.
This was just the beginning of our ill faith. Soon after his redundancy the leave to remain in the UK was curtailed by the UKBA. We applied for the extension of his visa on the ground of discretionary leave to remain, family and private life as he was in the midst of preparing a monograph and several journal articles and book chapters were in the pipeline. The Secretary of State disallowed the application with no grounds for appeal and has asked him to leave UK at the earlier. We have already spent lot of money in solicitor fees. Now the time has come for seeking justice and we hope to do a Judicial Review of the Home Office decision as he has a rightful claim to stay in the UK being married to a British citizen and more importantly for his contribution to UK academia and his field of study. We need educated, intelligent and hard work people like my husband to stay and contribute to our higher education and research environment. He has been funded for his research work from UK taxpayer’s money.
Since the Home Office rejection of his application in November 2015 he is not allowed to work as his leave to remain has expired. We have a serious financial crunch and we need your support to win the verdict of the High Court and quash the Home Office decision. My husband pledges to reciprocate all generous gifts through presenting each donator a souvenir of victory for justice and to organise an exhibition when all the donators will be invited to witness his visual presentation of research work among marginal seafarers in South Asia.
Congratulations to Debojyoti Das on completion of his PhD !
Deboyoti Das’s PhD thesis ‘Contested Development: Problems and Dilemmas in Sustainable Jhum Redevelopment in Nagaland’ was passed on Tuesday 20th Dec by his examiners, Professor Brian Morris (Goldsmiths) and Dr Satish Kumar (Queen's University Belfast). Produced from difficult fieldwork and archival research and within the new PhD timeframe, Debojyoti’s is a great achievement. Congratulations to him!
Professor David Mosse, FBA (SOAS, University of London), 22nd December 2011. (Source: SOAS website)
Organizer
Mrs Rupal Patel
Organizer
