HVK Archives: ICHR deputy chief accused of copying research
ICHR deputy chief accused of copying research - Asian Age
Ashish Kumar Sen
()
August 12, 1998
Title: ICHR deputy chief accused of copying research
Author: Ashish Kumar Sen
Publication: Asian Age
Date: August 12, 1998
The Indian Council of Historical Research will reopen an
investigation against one of the council's deputy-directors
charged with plagiarising research work by a prominent historian.
The work was allegedly submitted to the Rajasthan University by
the official for which he was awarded a Ph.D.
Noted Persian scholar, the late Parmatma Saran, was assigned to
translate the work of a scholar in Mughal emperor Akbar's court
by the ICHR in 1974. The research work, Tarikh-i-Akbari, though
submitted to the council by Saran has now been listed as
"submitted but not traceable (misappropriated) in the ICHR's
records. "The matter is very confidential," said the chairman of
the ICHR, Prof. S. Settar, when contacted by The Asian Age. "In
all fairness to the author and the employee of the council, an
inquiry must be instituted," he added.
Sixteenth century scholar Muhammad Arif Qandhari's Tarikh-i-
Akbari, also known as Tar Tarikh-i-Qandhari or Muzaffar-nama, was
translated by Prof. saran from medieval Persian into English and
submitted to the council in 1975. In 1993, Pragati Publications
published the same work by Dr Tasneem Ahmad a deputy-director
(medieval history research) at the ICHR. Sources at the council
allege Dr Ahmad received his Ph.D. from the Rajasthan University,
Jaipur, in 1992 for the translation.
Priced at Rs 350, the book has a foreword by former ICHR chairman
Prof. Irfan Habib. An inquiry was-initiated into the
disappearance of the document in 1995, however, it was unable to
throw any light on the whereabouts of the research work.
The work is significant as it is the first chronicle of Mughal
emperor Akbar's reign and an important source of information of
sixteenth century India. Arif Qandhari worked under Akbar's
general Bairam Khan and was later appointed Diwan of the Sarkar
of Punjab, Interestingly, the translation has been acknowledged
as being that by Prof. Saran in the council's annual reports of
1976 and 1977 placed before Parliament. However, it has since
been listed as "untraceable."
A written complaint was sent to the Indian Council of Historical
Research by the legal heirs Of Saran to ascertain the whereabouts
of the document. e have been extremely disturbed to hear
stories to the effect that not only has someone else published
the translation as his own work, but that this has been done by a
member of the ICHR," wrote Mr Vikram Sood, Prof. Saran's son-in-
law in a letter to the council. It was alleged that Mr Tasneem
Ahmad, a deputy-director with the ICHR had presented Prof.
Saran's work as his, own to the Rajasthan University at Jaipur
for which he was awarded a Ph.D. in 1992.
Despite the gravity of the allegations the matter was never
investigated with seriousness. "Mr Ahmad was summoned before the
chairman but no serious action was taken," said a member of the
Indian Council of Historical Research of condition of anonymity.
Stung into action by the letter from Saran's kin, an inquiry was
ordered by the then chairman of the Indian Council of Historical
Research Prof. Ravinder Kumar. "However, his leanings towards the
Congress and the concerned officer's connections with a senior
Congress minister at that time resulted in the inquiry getting
scuttled," the source added.
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