Why PhD students fear naming toxic labs/profs, calling all Indian PhDs toxic

[Madhu]

Can we make a list or something to help future PhD aspirants?
There are some truly great labs and professors, and some terrible ones. Proper info is needed for future applicants. Many get scared hearing all the bad "no‑name" stories and think everyone is bad, which stops good labs from attracting interested students.

myquals Masters

[Sachin]

I think everyone is scared that their career might get sabotaged.

[Aarohi]

Create a simple input form or an Excel sheet with fields like professor name, institute, period faced, reason for complaint. Add a way for others to confirm the entry so fake responses are reduced. Do it through a completely anonymous account.

[Parth]

I've run a PhD programme (not in the sciences) and have seen many reasons. I wrote about them last year.
[https://thirdworldecon.substack.com/p/hard-truths-about-the-indian-phd](https://thirdworldecon.substack.com/p/hard-truths-about-the-indian-phd)
Feel free to DM me if I can help document this in a meaningful and low‑risk way.

[Pankaj]

There's the Raya Sarkar list that names some of the worst offenders (not exhaustive, but it's a start).

[Cinemapicha]

I know some super toxic professors who should be on such a list. But as someone aiming for an academic career, I would never contribute unless it's completely anonymous. I'm sure others in my shoes would feel the same.