Two positions emerge among student groups at IIT Bombay

IIT Bombay does not have a formally registered student organisation representing all students. However, several student collectives have been active on campus at different times, addressing student issues and, in some cases, social and political issues

MUMBAI: The ongoing student protest at IIT Bombay has revealed a clear split in the positions of two student collectives active on the campus.

Two positions emerge among student groups at IIT Bombay. (Praful Gangurde/HT PHOTO)

While one group of students is demanding the suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from his position as faculty member in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering until the investigation into the suicide of a second year BTech student is completed, and is also seeking the resignation of the institute director, Shireesh Kedare, another group has come out in support of Doolla and called for a fair investigation and due process.

IIT Bombay does not have a formally registered student organisation representing all students. However, several student collectives have been active on campus at different times, addressing student issues and, in some cases, social and political issues. These collectives lack a formal membership registration system, making it difficult to establish the exact number of associated students.

However, the collectives maintain a presence on social media where they raise student-related issues. Their activities sometimes attract students who are not regular members, particularly when issues such as fee hikes, hostel problems or other campus-related matters arise.

Many such student collectives became less active or stopped functioning after the Covid-19 pandemic. At present, the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) and IIT B for Bharat are among the active groups on the campus.

The two collectives represent different approaches to the current campus debate.

APPSC

The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) was started at IIT Bombay in 2015, in the aftermath of the suicide of a student, Aniket Ambhore, at the institute in 2014. The collective was further energised after Rohith Vemula’s suicide in 2016, especially when the APPSC unit at IIT Madras came to the forefront alongside students from other elite institutes across the country who launched protests and solidarity movements.

“This study circle is a student collective which responds to issues impacting students within and outside IIT Bombay,” said a former member of the collective.

The collective describes itself as a secular, liberal and progressive student group. Over the years, its members have raised issues including the need for a gender cell, dedicated spaces for students and the proper functioning of the SC/ST cell at the institute.

Members of APPSC are participating in the current protest in their individual capacity, the members said. The ongoing protest is not formally restricted to any one student collective and is open to all students.

The group also tried to become a registered student organisation at IIT Bombay in 2017-18, but the attempt was unsuccessful.

IIT B for Bharat

IIT B for Bharat, formed in 2019, positioned itself as a group with a different approach from APPSC. A former member said the collective formed when APPSC was involved in protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens on campus.

“When APPSC was organising corner sabhas on the campus, some students felt it was affecting their studies. Students who thought differently came together and formed a group to promote Indian culture on the campus,” the former member said.

The collective has raised student-related issues, including opposing hostel fee hikes.

“Our way of putting forward points is different and practical, as we try to promote the positive aspects of the institute,” the former member said.

Through the present ongoing protest, IIT B for Bharat has posted messages on social media supporting Professor Doolla. In one of its posts, the collective stated that the resignation or removal of individuals should not substitute for establishing the truth.

The group has called for a fair investigation, due process and a peaceful academic environment.