IIT-Madras Students Hold Solidarity Rally, Institute Asks for Social Media Post Removal
Chennai: Students at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-Madras) held a spontaneous gathering on Wednesday to express solidarity with student protests in New Delhi's Jantar Mantar. This came after the institute's management reportedly asked them to remove social media posts supporting the protests earlier this week.
According to a student who spoke on condition of anonymity, Chintabar, a registered independent students' body at IIT-Madras, had sought permission to hold an event on Monday evening in support of the Jantar Mantar protests and the fast undertaken by climate activist Sonam Wangchuk.
The student alleged that the Dean of Students called the organisers and the faculty adviser, threatening consequences if they did not take down a call-for-action video posted on Chintabar's Instagram handle. The animated video, which showed Wangchuk on a fast, has since been removed from that page, though it remains on other social media handles.
Despite the request, students used other social media pages to call for Wednesday's gathering. Within two hours' notice, a few hundred students assembled, bringing their own materials and creating posters. Since no specific organiser was listed, participants spoke about their views on the developments.
The students also said they were trying to mobilise funds, materials, and medicines to send to New Delhi in aid of the protesting students. The institute management had not responded to the spontaneous gathering as of the time of reporting.
