Students alleged the guidelines were issued in response to a meet organised to mourn the death of children in Gaza.
AMN / WEB DESK MUMBAI
Amid the recent controversies surrounding over events organised by the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) department, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has issued new guidelines for hosting events on campus.
The institute has introduced an ‘external speaker review committee’ to approve speakers from outside the institute, particularly for events with potential political implications.
The guidelines specify that the external speaker review committee, appointed by the institute director, will vet external speakers. It says, faculty members hosting events must provide detailed information, including speaker bios, abstracts of talks, public links, and recorded materials for review.
The document emphasises the need for apolitical engagement on campus, stating that IIT Bombay encourages open discussions but must remain apolitical to uphold its primary mission. Any violation of defamation rules or acts of indiscipline, including participation in controversial events, may lead to disciplinary action.
Students alleged the guidelines were issued in response to a meet organised to mourn the death of children in Gaza.
https://x.com/AppscIITb/status/1724477161157902719?s=20
“This is a clampdown of our fundamental rights to free speech and expression, as well as right to peaceful assembly,” a PhD student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay told The Quint on 16 November, Thursday – days after a set of interim guidelines was rolled out by the administration of the reputed institute.
A Right-wing group held a protest in front of the main gate of IIT Bombay on Saturday against the screening of the documentary Arna’s Children and a lecture by a guest speaker that they claimed glorified the Hamas attack on Israel. In response, the institute on Tuesday issued interim guidelines on holding events on the campus.