The ouster of Bimal Roy as the Director of the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) on June 13 has resulted in a petition on Change.org which has called for a transparent inquiry into the reasons for his dismissal.According to a government order posted on the institute’s website, Roy was removed as director because of “a number of general and specific matters of financial and administrative irregularities which show the direct or supervisory responsibilities for acts of omission or commission on the part of the present Director, Prof Bimal Roy,” which the order says are available in ministry files.Due to “apprehension” that Roy may indulge in indiscipline and financial impropriety, he was sacked a PTI report states.The petition on the website titled “JusticeFor Isi” has already attracted more than a thousand supporters.“Such a supercilious Ministry order removing a sitting Director without any consultation with the ISI Council befits an emergency situation and is totally unprecedented. Since there has been no indication of any emergency prior to the aforementioned order, this order is indicative of a clear threat towards the institute’s autonomy,” the petition says.The appeal has also mentioned that no reasons were stated in the government notices for Roy’s dismissal, also claiming that Roy had not been given an opportunity to offer his defence.While the order does not mention charges against Roy, it says that “There is justified and reasonable apprehension that the present Director, Prof Bimal Roy may indulge in propagation of indiscipline and mischief, including acts of administrative and financial impropriety in the interregnum up to 31st July 2015 (before the new Director, Prof S Bandyopadhyay takes charge on 1st August 2015).”