Professor Resigns Amid Accusations That He Exploited Grad Students With ‘Modern Slavery’

A professor at the University of Missouri at Kansas City has resigned amid accusations that he exploited graduate students at the School of Pharmacy for free labor. Ashim K. Mitra, the professor, resigned just one day before a final university hearing would have determined his future at the university.

In November,The Kansas City Star reported that Mitra, a longtime professor of pharmaceutical sciences, had pressured students into performing tasks like lawn work, caring for his home while he and his wife were away, walking his dog, and other chores. The students, all from India, told the Star that they feared they would be kicked out of the university or lose their visas if they didn’t comply.

Russell B. Melchert, dean of the School of Pharmacy, told students in an email that officials had learned from the newspaper report of former students’ complaints against Mitra about performing chores for him.

In a statement, C. Mauli Agrawal, chancellor of the Kansas City campus, wrote that university had investigated the complaints. “As I have stated unequivocally, UMKC does not tolerate misconduct,” Agrawal wrote. “We investigate reports of misconduct and, when a report is substantiated, the violator is subject to discipline.”

Mitra had been on paid suspended leave since the reports of his conduct came to light in November.

His resignation means that Mitra no longer has tenure status and must remain off campus unless authorized. He was hired in 1994 as chair of the division of pharmaceutical sciences, a position he held until last year. He continued to teach until his suspension.

Nearly a dozen former students were interviewed on their relationship with Mitra, and one described it as “modern slavery,” the Star reported. In one instance several students were asked to clear water from Mitra’s flooded basement, at his home. The Star found that the professor had made similar demands of his students throughout his 24 years at the university.

According to allegations in a pending lawsuit by a colleague, the Star reports, the university had been aware of Mitra’s misconduct for years. Administrators ignored repeated complaints because of the millions of research dollars he raked in.

Mitra’s former colleagues told the Star that despite repeatedly warning the professor that his conduct was inappropriate, nothing changed. After one colleague filed a formal complaint, the university began an investigation but spoke to only one student. The Star also reported that court documents show that an official in charge of the investigation has said that “in hindsight” the investigation could have been done differently.

Mridul Mukherji, one of Mitra’s colleagues, is suing the former professor and university officials. His lawsuit says that Mitra mistreated vulnerable foreign students, and that when Mukherji complained, the university retaliated against him. Mukherji, an associate professor, told the Star that the university has tried to settle his lawsuit under the condition that he leave the university. He continues to teach and conduct research in the pharmacy school.

Mitra issued a statement denying wrongdoing to the Star through his lawyer.

“Over the years, I have invited graduate students to my home where they have done work related to their courses of study, and at times eaten meals prepared by my wife,” he wrote. “I have not required anyone to perform chores unrelated to their studies.

Apart from the statement, neither the university nor Mitra have responded to a request for comment.

Follow Zipporah Osei on Twitter at @zipporahosei, or email her at zipporah.osei@chronicle.com.

Corrections (1/22/2019, 4:55 p.m.): The original version of this article misreported the number of students who had described their relationship with Mitra as “modern slavery.” Only one used that term, not dozens. Also, an email from the pharmacy school’s dean referred only to complaints reported in The Kansas City Star, not additional complaints. Another reference to additional complaints, in a statement from the campus’s chancellor, was also incorrect. The text has been updated.