A student body at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has alleged that senior institute officials asked it to take down an Instagram video posted in support of students protesting against exam irregularities and refused to allow a peaceful assembly, saying it could “disrupt” the institute’s relations with the Center and “tarnish” the image of IIT Madras.
According to the ChintaBAR group, a recognized independent student body, it had sought permission on July 20 to organize a peaceful rally in support of students affected by paper leakage and irregularities in national-level entrance examinations such as NEET-UG and UGC-NET, as well as those involved in the ongoing protests in Delhi and elsewhere.
In an email to the administration, seen by HT, ChintaBAR said repeated examination irregularities, cancellations and re-examinations had caused “severe academic, emotional and financial stress” to students. She said the proposed gathering would be peaceful, would not disrupt academic activities, and would adhere to the institute’s rules.
A student associated with ChintaBAR claimed that after submitting the application, the representatives were asked to meet Dean of Students Prof Satyanarayana N Gummadi on July 20 in the presence of Students-elect General Secretary Annapureddy Suresh.
“The dean asked us to remove the Instagram video we had posted on July 17 in support of the protesting students in Delhi and refused to allow the rally, stating that IIT Madras did not want to disturb and disrupt its relations with the central government due to the ongoing student protests,” the student claimed.
The student body claimed that it complied after informing fellow students through WhatsApp groups why the video was removed. The video showed IIT Madras students holding placards highlighting issues of paper leakage and other exam irregularities.
Another student alleged that officials told them that they were “not allowed to protest” as it would “tarnish the image of IIT Madras”.
HT reached out to IIT Madras Director V Kamakoti, Professor Gummadi and Students General Secretary. They did not respond.
A separate application by a group of BTech and MTech students to hold a peaceful protest on the campus on July 20 was also rejected, the students alleged. A WhatsApp message sent by a student after their meeting with the dean, and seen by HT, said that the administration had asked them not to organize any protest on that day but to consider it later, prepare a list of demands on “accountability in education”, and discuss it with the principal.
The students sought the freedom to publicly support the larger movement demanding accountability in education, the post said.
“The representatives of the institute also requested that we acknowledge the efforts made by IIT Madras to improve the examination systems in the wake of issues related to leaks of NEET papers and the CBSE examination system. I request everyone to take note of these efforts and acknowledge them,” the letter said.
IIT Madras experts recently helped CBSE develop an on-screen marking (OSM) portal after the uproar over irregularities in Class 12 results and prepared the Centre’s data analytics report on NEET-UG 2024, which found no evidence of mass malpractice.
The allegations come days after IIT Roorkee issued an advisory asking students and staff not to participate in political activities or make political statements without prior permission, saying such statements could embarrass the institute’s relations with the central government. IIT Roorkee later clarified that the consultation was routine and had nothing to do with the ongoing protests.
Despite not seeking permission from IIT Madras authorities, more than 150 students attended a gathering at Himalaya Lawns inside the campus on Wednesday to express their solidarity with the protesting students in Delhi. This gathering was organized by students participating in the First Engineering Institute.
