Announcements/Clarification Regarding Kiruba Shankar's Involvement

Date: 14 December 2010

There has been some public confusion as to the nature and status of Mr. Kiruba Shankar's involvement with the Wikimedia India Chapter. This notice seeks to clarify that:


 * Mr. Kiruba Shankar was initially associated with efforts to set up a Wikimedia India Chapter.
 * He has publicly acknowledged that he is no longer involved with this Chapter via an email on the 12th of March 2010 because, in Mr. Shankar's words:


 * “There are times I overran myself in the assumption that Foundation formation time could happen sooner and assumed I'd be part of the board and hence a Director (designate) without realizing the really long gestation period it takes to set up the foudation [sic] or the confusion it would cause.”


 * However, this confusion has persisted and Mr. Shankar has, in the recent past, clarified that he is in no way associated with the Wikimedia India Chapter.
 * Sadly, it has come to our attention that he continues to make make unwarranted and patently false representations as to the nature of his association with the Wikimedia India Chapter. The most recent example being his visiting card that states that he is a Director of Wikimedia India, when in fact no such position exists within the framework provided by the Memorandum of Association of the Wikimedia India Chapter.
 * When this was brought to his attention, Mr. Shankar responded to note that “I ran out of my present bunch of cards and since I had to travel to Lavasa for the INK conference, I had to pick my old bunch of unused cards because my new cards got delayed from the printers. I had consciously been striking out the position clearly on each of the cards ( attached are two photos of the entire bunch and a closeup of one such card) . I'm sorry that the card that your friend got missed out.  If in doubt, you can check out with others (though your friend) that I consciously stuck it out.”

Given the continued nature of the confusion and misrepresentation, we have been forced to issue Mr. Shankar notice to cease and desist from such activity.

Wikimedia India Executive Council