Why IIT-Madras Bans Students Association?

New Delhi: IIT Madras has banned a Dalit students’ association after receiving an anonymous complaint that it has been spread ‘hatred’ against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Hindus and criticizing the polities of the Central Government.

The Union Human Resource Development Ministry had forwarded a complaint to IIT Madras which alleged that a student group called Ambedkar Periyar Student Circle (APSC) is mobilizing SC and ST students against the government’s policies related to ‘ban on beef’ in some states, ‘ghar wapsi programme’ which has support of the right-wing groups, and ‘use of Hindi’.

The HRD Ministry had also conducted an inquiry into the matter and had attached APSC pamphlets along with the complaint. The pamphlets contained excerpts of speech of Professor R V Gopal in which he had criticized several bills of the Central Government and accused the NDA government of favouring big businesses.

The ban imposed by IIT-M gave rise to concerns that it may mean curtailing the students’ freedom of expression. However, the premier engineering institute clarified that the ban was imposed because the APSC failed to adhere to the institute’s guidelines that student activities should have approval of the Dean.

The APSC accused that the action against it was taken arbitrarily but the Dean of Students Sivakumar M Srinivasan assured that the institute by its students and group members will be given a hearing when IIT-M opens up after the break in August.

Prisca Mathew, under-secretary in the HRD Ministry, wrote to the IIT-M management on May 15 seeking response to the complaint. A week later, on May 22, Srinivasan sent an email to the group coordinators said that the APSC has been de-recognized for ‘misuse of its privileges’.

The APSC dismisses the institute’s action as ‘unilateral’ and insisted that it has not ‘misused’ any privileges. It was formed on April 14, 2014 to promote the teachings of social reformers like B R Ambedkar and Periyar E V Ramasamy.