Vishwa Jit Gupta
Vishwa Jit Gupta | |
|---|---|
| Born | 4 November 1942 Chandigarh, India |
| Died | 31 December 2022 |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Alma mater | Panjab University |
| Known for | Himalayan geology and fossil record Himalayan fossil hoax |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Geology Paleontology |
| Institutions | Panjab University |
| Thesis | Palaeontology, Stratigraphy and Structure of the Palaeozoic Rocks of the Area South-East of Srinagar (1966) |
| Doctoral advisor | M.R. Sahni |
Vishwa Jit Gupta, alternatively spelt Viswa Jit Gupta, or Vishwajit Gupta, (1942—2022) was an Indian paleontologist and former professor of geology at Panjab University, Chandigarh. He is reputed for research in the geological settings and fossil records of the Himalayas, publishing five books and 458 articles on the subject between 1966 and 1989. However, many of his fossils were revealed to be fake or manipulated, and he became infamous for large-scale scientific fraud, the case that came to be known as the Himalayan fossil hoax. Once recognised as "India's most celebrated fossil scientist", he has been named as "the greatest" and "most notorious paleontological fraudster" and "Houdini of the Himalayas."