Guwahati: A wave of outrage has swept through the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati campus following the alleged suicide of a 21-year-old student from Uttar Pradesh.
Students have demanded the immediate resignation of the institute’s Dean of Students Affairs (DOSA), Dean of Academic Affairs (DoAA), and a faculty member of the Department of Mathematics.
The protest erupted on Monday, with students accusing the institute of prioritizing grades over student well-being. Bimalesh Kumar, a third-year BTech student of Computer Science and Engineering, was found dead in his room at Brahmaputra Hostel.
Students alleged that the administration has been insensitive to their concerns and those of their parents. They have called for the resignation of DoSA Perumal Alagarsamy and DoAA KV Krishna. Additionally, they have demanded the resignation of Vinay Wagh, an associate professor of Mathematics, who allegedly failed 40 students due to an ‘attendance deficit.’
Students claim that the deceased student was among several others who had failed a course last winter due to their inability to meet the attendance requirement, which restricted them from internships. This, they say, contributed to his distress.
They claimed that the authorities have refused to verify medical certificates issued by the IITG Hospital, leading to the failure of numerous students.
They further alleged that the authorities have been inflexible in granting leave of absence, even when students presented valid medical certificates. Students claim that their requests for leave were either ignored or met with absurd rejections.
The students also accused the institute of failing to recognize its placement cell when a student’s internship was delayed by a week, forcing them to pay a penalty.
Students alleged that despite repeated pleas, the Dean of Academic Affairs (DOAA) has refused to grant them permission for a summer course, causing significant inconvenience and hardship during their internship season.
The students said that officials at IIT Guwahati laughed at the deceased student’s body during the protest and threatened protesting students with withholding their degrees. They also alleged that the officials suppressed the students from speaking out and forced them to delete comments on social media, even threatening their parents.
Students accused the administration of blaming them for the student’s suicide, suggesting that they should “make friends” and “want another body like this.” They also criticize the professors for having bad reviews yet retaining their positions and even holding powerful roles like Dean of Academic Affairs (DoAA).
The students alleged that the warden was more concerned about a girl wearing shorts than about the hanging body in front of the warden’s office. They claim that the warden laughed at the deceased student’s body and refused to allow the family to touch it, insisting that the police handle the situation.
The students claimed that professors have acted innocently in front of the protesters when asked about the reason for the suicide, while the institute has never conducted a proper investigation into student suicides since 2019.
They alleged that a professor once threatened a student with physical violence during a student disciplinary committee meeting.
The students claimed that professors have threatened students during the protest, despite the students being harmless and not causing any violence.