PUCL Maharashtra has issued a statement expressing distress by alleged suicide of Darshan Solanki, first generation Dalit student, of first year B. Tech, IIT Bombay on 12th February 2023. He had confided in his elder sister and aunt about the discrimination he faced at the institute.[1] What pushed this young 18 year old student to take this drastic step is no different than what propelled Ankit Ambore (2014 in IIT Bombay), Dr. Payal Tadvi (2019), Rohit Vimula (2016 ) or Senthil Kumar (2008) or hundreds others, the statement records.

The data shared in Parliament by Minister of Education shows 122 student deaths by suicide in years between 2014 and 2021 from Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs). [2] The data also points out that larger proportion (68) of deaths of students are from socially and economically backward communities, indicating entrenched Institutionalised Caste Discrimination which drives the students to this drastic end. Almost 63% of the undergraduate dropouts at the top seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) over the last five years are from the reserved categories.[3]

Institutionalised Casteism: Persistent discrimination over decades 
It was because of the persistent efforts of the anti-caste  movement  that  finally  only in 1972, that  the  IITs  were  forced  to  implement  mandatory  reservations  for students from the SC/ST communities, that too with only 15 students from SC/ST background in each Institute. In 1996 there was a study conducted of five IITs.[4] The study came up with observations and recommendations. The observations included the financial hardships, discrimination faced by the students from marginalized communities. It noted high dropout rate amongst those students and recommended stern action against the discrimination suggested facilitating loans and scholarships, as well as counseling for all students. In 1980 IIT Bombay students had protested over expulsion of four students, who were facing difficulties over English. 

Complete dereliction of responsibility by Institution: lack of redressal mechanism 
In 2014 following the death by suicide of a student of IIT Bombay, from a marginalised community, Aniket Ambore, a committee was appointed headed by Professor A K Suresh. The committee submitted recommendation for providing facilities to students from marginalised communities, which were accepted by the Institute. 

Out of all the recommendation the only action taken was in 2017, which was formation of the SC/ST cell. The students told PUCL representatives that initially there was only one convenor, with no other resources either staff, office, or helpline number. Most of the students did not even know of its existence. Later some students have volunteered to help. Now one co-convenor has been appointed. 

The PUCL statement states that organisation representatives met some students from the Institute. The student volunteers help out many students with issues of scholarships, as most students from marginalized communities also come from economically weaker background. These volunteers and other students after extensive discussion with the convenors of SC/ST cell, have worked on the mandate for the cell and submitted the same.

[1] https://tennews.in/iit-bombay-student-dies-by-suicide-family-alleges-caste-discrimination/
[2] https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/dalit-body-seeks-iit-b-student-death-probe-from-centre-1192074.html
[3] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-proceedings-60-of-dropouts-at-7-iits-from-reserved-categories/article35752730.ece
[4] Study conducted by Vinay Kirpal and Meenakshi Gupta is available in IIT library

Related:

IIT Bombay Dalit student death: Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, ex Rajya Sabha member, demands SIT probe into his death 

IIT-Bombay grilled on counsellor posting: NCST 

The post Systematic Entrenched Caste Discrimination in IITs is depriving young students right to dignity and life: PUCL appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, a former Rajya Sabha member, former member of the Planning Commission and vice chancellor of Mumbai University, has demanded the setting up of a special investigation team to investigate the alleged suicide of a young Dalit IIT-Bombay student, Darshan Solanki from Gujarat. 

On February 22, while addressing a press conference, Mungekar alleged that the deceased, Darshan Solanki, was a victim of institutionalised caste discrimination, just like Hyderabad Central University student, Rohith Vemula, who had also died by suicide on campus in the year 2016. He had stated, “Darshan Solanki’s family members have already claimed that he faced caste discrimination during his first semester.” Mungekar has demanded that this case should be probed extensively, media reported.

In this connection, Dr Mungekar has met Dr Subhasis Chaudhuri, director of IIT-B, and the Powai Police to obtain information, after which he has made serious claims that the Mumbai police authorities are not taking the case seriously. He also alleged that the postmortem of Solanki was done without informing his family. The internal committee that they (IIT-B) have formed to investigate the matter does not look reliable, Dr Mungekar has alleged. “I’ve asked them to appoint people from outside to bring inauthenticity. The (Powai) police have not added the Atrocity Act in the case, which is unfair,” said Mungekar, reported the Free Press Journal. 

Elaborating on the bias displayed by the police, Mangekar also pointed out that the police had carried out the post mortem without any permission from his parents. He also said that the post mortem was conducted by the police even before the parents had arrived here in Mumbai, all of which pointed to foul play. According to him, many aspects of the case are being suppressed even when there is enough evidence that Darshan faced caste-based discrimination. 

Calling this death by suicide as a case of institutional murder and not an accidental case, he further demanded that the FIR should be filed with sections inserted from the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 

Mungekar has also informed the media that along with the Mumbai Pradesh Congress Committee, a protest will be organised on March 4 to demand action against those involved in the death of IIT-Bombay student Darshan Solanki.

“Various like-minded organisations will gather at Azad Maidan on March 4 and protest in support of an SIT and action against those involved in his death,” he was quoted as saying. Mungekar had further added that Darshan’s father is also going to participate in the March 4 protest. 

Darshan Solanki’s death

Darshan Solanki, a B-Tech first-year student at IIT Bombay, died by suicide on February 12. Following his death, a group of students had made serious allegations that he was driven towards dying by suicide as a result of being discriminated against because of his caste. The institution had denied the allegations, and the police had also ruled out any foul play.

Darshan’s parents, Ramesh and Tarlika Solanki, had called for a candlelight march in Ahmedabad on February 19. The family had requested a SIT investigation into his death as well as the implementation of the Rohith Vemula Act.

Related:

IITs unable to create safe spaces for students

MP: Dalit boy dies by suicide, blames teacher’s casteist remarks

REPLUG: Rohith Vemula, Your Sacrifice was Not in Vain

Student groups clash in Lucknow University on Rohith Vemula’s death anniversary

The post IIT Bombay Dalit student death: Dr Bhalchandra Mungekar, ex Rajya Sabha member, demands SIT probe into his death  appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In the spate of protests that spilled over in as many as 32  Institutes of higher learning following the brute police actions on Jamia Milia Islamia, Aligarh Muslim University and Jawaharlal Nehru University on December 15, 2019 and January 5, 2020 respectively, the dozens of protests that took place at IITB were historic.

Predictably, these have been followed by repression and blatant efforts at coercive intimidation.

Now two former IIT-ians write an open letter to the director not only making a case for free speech but tracing the illustrious history of IITB’s alumni that have broken ceilings of predictability and forged new horizons. Do not the present students of IITB not have the right to emulate them, the letter asks.

The full text of the letter may be read here:

The post Free speech must for students, IITB alumni to director appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In an email sent to hostel students advising them about rules, Prof. George Mathew, the Associate Dean of Student Affairs of the Indian Institute of Technology – Bombay (IIT-B) has issued 15 guidelines for acceptable behaviour. One of these is especially curious given the present political climate.

It says, “Residents shall not participate in any anti-national, anti-social and or any undesirable activities.” This becomes particularly interesting when read with two more guideline on the list:

“No posters or leaflets/pamphlets distribution allowed in the hostel without permission from the respective hostel council or DoSA (Dean of Student Affairs).”

And

“Speeches/play/music or any other activities that disturbs (sic) the peace of hostel environment is strictly prohibited. Not allowed even if faculty is part of gathering. Only matters that are approved from DoSA office will be permitted.”

The advisory is being viewed as a violation of the right to freedom of speech and expression of students. It is noteworthy that IIT-B students had marched in solidarity with students of Jamia Milia Islamia University after the latter were attacked by security personnel for raising voices of dissent against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). IIT-B students have also been attending various other rallies across the city and participating in pro-democracy demonstrations including the protest at Gateway of India recently. Students also participated in a rally to create awareness about the Constitution on the eve of Republic Day and yet another one on January 26 titled ‘Reclaiming the Republic’.

It is also noteworthy how the email ends on an almost ominous note saying, “The security of IIT Bombay is already authorised to take action for any violation of the above rules.” This virtual carte blanche to “take action” reads almost like a threat. This threat sounds particularly potent in wake of violence against university students across India on campuses such as the Aligarh Muslim University (AU), the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Cotton University in Guwahati and many more.

The post IIT-B bars students from “anti-national” activities appeared first on SabrangIndia.

In response to the IIT Bombay (IIT-B) faculty’s condemnation the politicization of educational campuses saying that the IIT-B campus was not for politics or to serve a political propaganda, the students of the educational institute carried out a Tiranga Yatra on the campus on the eve of Republic Day during which they carried a 1000-foot long flag and sang the national anthem.

A student organizer of the march told reporters, “The Tiranga rally was held to strengthen students’ unity on the campus since the divide along ideological lines became evident especially after the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA). The rally’s objective was to respect the Constitution and understand what it stands for.”

IIT Bombay students took out a Tiranga March on 25th January followed by a ‘Reclaim the Republic’ rally on the 26th. #CAA_NRCProtests pic.twitter.com/Gqmnx7NWnD

— We The People of India (@ThePeopleOfIN) January 27, 2020

RT Sunil_Deodhar : RT ippatel: Around 2000 students, professors and staff of IIT Bombay gathered on the eve of #RepublicDayIndia to march with a 1000 feet long Tiranga in support of #CAA.

The rally covered most of IIT Bombay’s campus ended with the Nati… pic.twitter.com/7wO42ytwmu

— Amogh Nayak (@AmoghIN) January 27, 2020

#BharathaMathaHarathi A 1,000 ft long Tiranga was carried by about 1,500+ students, staff, faculty members and families through about 4.5 km route on IIT Bombay campus for 2 hours. At the conclusion everybody did a Shubh Sankalpa to rise for the nation.
# IITBforTiranga pic.twitter.com/LLi16qC3LN

— anil kumar (@anilkumar1925) January 26, 2020

More than 1,500 students, teachers, non-teaching staff and their family members participated in the march.

The students also planned a cultural event at the campus on Republic Day to conclude a 10-day lecture series on the Preamble to the Constitution which was organized keeping in mind the nationwide protests against the CAA, reported Mumbai Mirror. They had earlier too staged a protest condemning the violence against students and faculty at the Jawaharlal Nehru University who were brutally attacked by a masked mob in a bid to threaten them to stop their fight against the fee hike.

*IITB students carried out protest against the brutal violence unleashed at the JNU campus today.* @abpmajhatv @abpnewshindi @nikhildubei @INCIndia @iitbombay @AUThackeray pic.twitter.com/dWLCPG86j4

— Renu Chaudhary (@RenuABPNEWS) January 5, 2020

A faculty member told the paper, “Inspired by Aristotelian thought, we want to create a culture where people can ask questions, have discussions and make a better society. One needs to know why the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR) are against the constitutional ethos. It is a way to understand political expressions and redefine our political understanding. Our larger narrative is Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the universe is one family). All those on the margins should have a voice.”

Related:

CAA-NRC-NPR toxic to all Indians, not just Muslims
K’taka: Migrant laborers called for verification; govt asks for report seeking reasons
Punjab CM sends ‘Mein Kampf’ copy to SAD Chief to show implications of CAA

The post IIT-B holds Tiranga rally to strengthen unity and create awareness against CAA-NPR-NRC appeared first on SabrangIndia.

As the protests across both IIT Madras and JNU surged with more and more students coming out on the streets, hundreds of students from various colleges affiliated to Mumbai University and civil rights groups came out in protest to express their solidarity with the protesting students.

The protest gathering, held at the Mumbai University, Kalina Campus, highlighted the rampant discrimination taking place in Indian campuses and the importance of free and subsidised education to support the students coming from Dalit Bahujan communities. The call for protest was given by the Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, Maharashtra. 

A graduate student Niket present at the protest said, ”This is all because of caste and religious discrimination. It is not only colleges, even at the school level, one can witness such discrimination based on surnames. It is easy to label people by saying, you are Hindu, you are Sikh, you are Muslim, you are Christain, you are a Dalit, this is not how I imagine India should be, we want an India which is free of such discrimination and follows brotherhood. Fathima’s case is not a case of suicide, three people have been named in this, and the police is not doing anything as even they are under pressure”.

Regarding the rampant discrimination taking place on Indian University Campuses students opined that it is nothing new, but it is only coming to light now. A PhD student, Piyush said, “I think such discrimination existed even before if you read Om Prakash Valmiki. He writes about how he faced discrimination on all levels even in school. What I feel is before people (from other castes) were not even seen in Universities, at least after the 1990s they were able to make it to the Universities, but I don’t think that an atmosphere of acceptance has developed in any University as such.

Courtesy: Two Circles

The post Students across Mumbai come out in support of Fathima Latheef, JNU students appeared first on SabrangIndia.

On November 9, the North-east Collective of IIT Bombay released on its Facebook page, a poster announcing an event to be held on November 11 in the Seminar Room of the department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS).

Image courtesy: North East Collective, IIT Bombay

The speakers in the event were Brinelle D’souza, an academic; Freny Manecksha, a writer; Geeta Seshu, an independent journalist and Veena Gowda an advocate from the Maharashtra wing of People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL). The event named “98 days and counting- The Indian Constitution and its History of Radical Revision” had been granted the permission to be held in the seminar hall but the Head of the Department informed the students that the permission was cancelled due to some policy violation. While the seminar hall remained locked even half an hour before the scheduled time for the event, the event was shifted to a park within the campus.

Image courtesy: North East Collective, IIT Bombay

One of the students, who is pursuing his PhD. in philosophy gave details about the topics discussed at the event. The topics covered in the discussion ranged from media coverage and the narrative around the Kashmir lockdown, the on-going violence in the Valley and its impact on women, mental health of the people in the valley and the legal aspects of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution. Freny Manecksha even spoke about her book “Behold, I Shine: Narratives of Kashmir’s Women and Children” released in 2017, giving importance to bringing the voices of Kashmiri locals to the fore, in the discourse.

There has been a lot of debate on the legality of the abrogation of Article 370 while many condemning it and calling it unconstitutional. We have considered Kashmir to be the crown of the nation and now the crown has completely lost its sheen. We have seen the rest of India basking in the “glory” of removal of special status of the State, not realising the aftermath of such a decision which was followed by a complete lockdown of the state. 

It is commendable that despite of facing a hurdle, the students of IIT-B found a way to make the event happen and what better place than an open park to have a discussion about democracy and freedom! While the plight of Kashmiri locals has not found a medium to be voiced, it is important that we, as fellow citizens, stand in solidarity with them and when students groups like these hold discussions like these defying all odds, the discourse remains alive and there still remains a hope that one day the crown will shine again.
 

Previous incidents of suppression of University students

In the past such discussions have been succesfully stifled within University campus premises. University administrations have tried their best to prevent such discussions from taking place ever since Article 370 was abrogated and Kashmir was put under a lockdown. Ahead of a planned debate on Article 370 in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh Muslim University, security personnel were deployed in the premises as a precautionary measure, armed with tear gases. A talk on Article 370 was cancelled in Panjab University in Chandigarh as the university authorities claimed that the police had told them that no event on the Kashmir issue would be allowed inside the campus.

Two days after Article 370 was abrogated, the Central University of Tamil Nadu issued a circular which states, “Anybody or group of persons who indulge in activities and which is a threat to security and integrity of India will not be tolerated and stern action will be taken against them, including dismissal from the university without conduct of any inquiry, followed by criminal action under the IPC.” When posters expressing solidarity with Kashmir came up on the walls in the campus, the University’s management filed a police complaint to find people responsible behind the posters.

University of Hyderabad also followed suit and issued an order prohibiting protests and agitations, “..all the protests and agitations are prohibited in the Hyderabad University campus with immediate effect and assembling of five or more persons at one place are also prohibited forthwith until further orders.” Accordingly, the university denied permission for a panel discussion on Article 370 but two days later member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) took out a bike rally on campus hailing the revocation of special status of Jammu and Kashmir and the integration of Kashmir with the country. The students naturally felt betrayed that if a discussion about Kashmir cannot take place why was a celebration about Kashmir be permitted on campus. This raises some serious questions about where the orders were really coming from.

A peculiar incident occurred in Central University of Tamil Nadu whereby a weekly UPSC study circle in the campus was asked to stop discussions and vacate the room, alleging that the same were about Article 370. The students claim that the discussion was about the history of Article 370 as the same is relevant for studying for UPSC. They refused to stop their discussion but later received memo from the University asking for explanation why disciplinary action should not taken against them.

Universities are made to comply with orders which are clearly coming from their governments. The government is getting wary of student’s rising consciousness and in an apparent bid to avoid security concerns, is stifling students’ discussions. One wonders how insecure is this government that they are scared of letting students discuss within classrooms.

Related:

As student activists debate Article 370, university administrations, state govts crack whip on dissenting voices

TN Central University students face action for discussion on Article 370

After University of Hyderabad cancels discussion on Article 370, ABVP protests

Protesting Wardha students have not violated model code of conduct, EC gives clean chit

The post You can’t stifle them all – IIT B students appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Students protesting at IIT-Bombay on June 22, 2017.

“Users have to pay for what they use”, said the director of the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B), Devang Khakhar, last Thursday as he addressed students on campus protesting a massive hike in the semester fees announced this May.

Terming the hike as “user charges or service charges”, he made no bones about the neoliberal economic logic that treats education as any ‘goods or services’ bought and sold in the market — and violating the very basis on which the IITs were set up by the Indian government in the 1950s and 60s.

“The objective of the IITs was to provide a space that nurtures some of the brightest minds in the country, who’d contribute to India’s goals of scientific and technological development. Students are not consumers and colleges are not shops, at least not the government institutions,” said a PhD student at IIT-B, on condition of anonymity.

The latest hike at IIT-B comes a year after the undergraduate tuition fees was more than doubled across the IITs — the premier public-sector institutions of higher technical education and research.

This time, while tuition has not been hiked, there is an increase of 300% in the hostel rent, 167% in the gymkhana fees, 100% in exam, registration and medical fees, and 30-50% in other charges.

This means that all students—undergraduate, postgraduate and research; across categories—will need to pay an increased sum between Rs 4,750 and Rs 7,250 from the upcoming Autumn Semester onwards. But students have calculated that counting the end-semester mess overdue charges, those using hostel facilities will actually have to pay even more from the next (after Autumn) semester onwards—a hike of Rs 8,670 to 11,170 per semester.

For nearly two months now, IIT-B students have been organising on the campus, demanding rollback of the hike, which they’ve called “undemocratic” and “non-transparent” as no elected student body was consulted on the matter.

They’ve formed a collective called Students Against Fee Hike, IIT-B , sent emails and submitted representations to the administration. More than 700 students signed a petition opposing the fee hike—although the majority of students are currently not on campus, as the new semester begins mid-July.

Yet, last Thursday, when the students finally gained an audience with the director after a 10-hour long protest rally and sit-in outside the main administrative building — he could only promise them a “white paper” explaining what costs the institute was trying to recover and why they were being passed on to students.

He also assured them of an Open House meeting soon where he’d address students’ questions, and said the administration would try its best to resolve the issue.

But Khakhar said the institute was just “falling in line” with “national policy”. He said since the tuition at IITs was already subsidised, subsidy was going to be cut for the apparently “non-academic” part of expenses, such as for living in the hostel, eating in the mess, using medical and sports facilities, etc.

Earlier, the administration had simply attributed the hike to “inflation”.

The director did not agree to extend the payment deadline, which is July 11, 2017 (with delayed payments allowed till July 19, against a fine of Rs 100 per day).

He said even if the fee was reduced, it would not go back to what it was earlier.

He added that “special provisions” could be made for those who could not afford the hike, although that is likely to be a one-time affair.

For now, the protests are on hold, but students plan to resume and intensify the agitation if they do not hear back favourably from the director soon.

A PhD student, who is an active member of the Students Against Fee Hike, IIT-B collective, said, “We are waiting for an email from the director, as promised. We want to the issue to be resolved as soon as possible, as the fee payment deadline is approaching fast. Otherwise we will resume the protests this week.”

Less than 10 years ago, the annual tuition fees for undergraduate courses at the IITs used to be Rs 25,000.

Under the UPA, the fee was doubled to Rs 50,000 per annum in 2008, and then hiked to Rs 90,000 per annum in 2013.

Last year, the Modi-led NDA approved a steep hike from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2 lakh per year, with fee waivers for reserved category and sections of economically weak students.

For the rest, loan facilities were brandished as the solutions. There was some talk of interest-free loans for IIT students, not for those of other engineering institutions, such as the NITs, which also faced a massive fee hike from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.25 lakh last year.

This means that in order to access quality higher technical education, even from the institutions set up by the government, students need to be either wealthy or indebted. And we only need to look at the U.S. to know how dire and vicious student debt cycles can get.  

Even the 2016 hike came after the MHRD revised downwards the original hike recommendation which was Rs 3 lakh, made by a panel headed by Ashok Mitra, chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT-Roorkee.

In 2011, the Kakodkar Committee, headed by nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar, had recommended that tuition fees for all undergraduate, postgraduate and research programmes be hiked to Rs 2-2.5 lakhs per annum.

But while the UPA did not accept the Kakodkar Committee recommendation to hike fees so steeply all at once, the IIT Council did officially declare that “the fee may be revised periodically”.

This push to turn the IITs into “self-financing” institutions—with the government throwing its hands up by saying it already spends around Rs 6 lakh on each IIT student per year—is accompanied by selling out initiatives like the
Higher Education Financing Agency , which will basically borrow from the debt market and lend to the institutions for “infrastructure” development, requiring the institutes to pay back the principal amount. This will again lead to hike in the student fees.

Last December, IIT Kharagpur saw students protest against a hike of more than Rs 8,000 in the fees. Students even gheraoed the officials, including the director, inside their offices for around 17 hours. Finally, the
administration agreed to a partial rollback .

Courtesy: Newsclick.in
 

The post IIT-Bombay students protest against fee hike aka “user charges” appeared first on SabrangIndia.

इंडियन इंस्टीट्यूट ऑफ टेक्नोलॉजी (IIT) मुंबई के एक कार्यक्रम के दौरान शिवसेना नेता ने हनुमान की एक पेंटिंग देखकर विरोध करना शुरू कर दिया। शिवसेना के नेताओं और कार्यकर्ताओं के विरोध के बाद प्रशासन ने पेंटिंग को हटा लिया। देश के नामी शिक्षा संस्थान में कल्चरल फेस्टिवल ‘मूड इंडिगो’ चल रहा है। कार्यक्रम में पहुंचे शिवसेना नेता को हनुमान पेंटिंग सही नहीं लगी और उसने विरोध करना शुरू कर दिया।

मीडिया रिपोट्स के मुताबिक, भगवान हनुमान के जैसी दिखने वाली इस आधुनिक पेंटिंग को शिवसेना की आपत्ति के बाद हटाना पड़ा। पेंटिंग इंडियन इंस्‍टीट्यूट ऑफ टेक्‍नॉलॉजी, पवई में बनाई गई थी। यह पेंटिंग वहां पर चल रहे सालाना सांस्‍कृतिक कार्यक्रम मूड इंडिगो के तहत बनाई गई थी। शिवसेना ने इस पर आपत्ति जताई और कार्यक्रम के आयोजकों से माफी मांगने को कहा।

सोमवार (26 दिसंबर) को स्‍थानीय शिवसेना कार्यकर्ता कैंपस में आ गए और उन्‍होंने पेंटिंग को हटाने की मांग की। इसके बाद उसे मिटा दिया गया। इस पेंटिंग में दिखाया गया है कि किस प्रकार से एक व्यक्ति एक हाथ से पहाड़ और दूसरे में गदा की जगह पेन लेकर जाता दिखाई दे रहा था। इस पेंटिंग को आधुनिक टैक्नोलाॅजी और संचार व्यवस्था को प्रतीकात्मक तरीके से दिखाया गया है।

इस पूरे मामले में कार्यक्रम में आयोजकों की ओर से कोई बयान नहीं जारी किया गया। हालांकि कैंपस में स्टॉल लगाने वालों और दर्शकों ने बताया कि पेंटिंग को लेकर काफी गरमागरम बहस भी हुई थी। शिवसेना नेताओं ने बताया कि उन्हें पेंटिंग के बारे में रविवार को पता चला था जिसके बाद स्थानीय नेता सोमवार को आईआईटी कैंपस में गए। उन्हें स्थानीय विधायक सुनील राउत और शिवसेना नेता दत्ता दाल्वी ने निर्देश दिए थे।

इस मामले में दत्ता दाल्वी ने कहा, ‘पेटिंग खराब थी। इससे काफी लोगों की धार्मिक भावना को ठेस पहुंची है। हनुमान जैसे हिंदुओं के पूज्य देवताओं को इस तरह की पेंटिंग में दिखाने का कोई तुक नहीं है। छात्रों को ऐसा नहीं करना चाहिए था। शिवसेना के ही एक स्थानीय शाखा प्रमुख नीलेश सालुंखे ने कहा कि इस मुद्दे को लेकर वे स्टूडेंट काउंसिल के सदस्यों से भी मिले और चेतावनी दी थी कि अगर पेंटिंग को हटाया नहीं गया तो वे कार्यक्रम नहीं होने देंगे।

उन्होंने कहा, ‘कैंपस में जब छात्रों से पेंटिंग को लेकर सवाल किए गए तो उन्होंने कहा कि इसे बाहर के स्टूडेंट ने बनाया है। यह सरासर झूठ लग रहा है। लेकिन जब हमने उसका नाम जानना चाहा तो वे बता नहीं पाए। मामला तब सुलझा जब प्रशासन ने माफी मांगी और स्टूडेंट काउंसिल ने हमें लिखित में दिया कि वे ऐसी गलती दोबारा नहीं करेंगे। घटना के बाद से कैंपस में सुरक्षा बढ़ा दी गई है।

Courtesy: Janta Ka Reporter
 

The post शिव सेना के विरोध के कारण आईआईटी-मुंबई को हटानी पड़ी अपनी आधुनिक पेंटिंग, कैंपस में बढ़ाई गई सुरक्षा appeared first on SabrangIndia.