IIT-Bombay students protest against the attacks in IIT-Madras

“There was a lot of rage among students over the incident. No particular group called for the protest rally. Messages about the rally was just being circulated across social media and students just joined to voice their support too,” said a student from the campus.

In a statement released by a students’ group, they mentioned, ‘We believe that these kinds of violent physical assaults and intimidations on politically dissenting students are not only a shame to the academic and intellectual climate of IITs but also to the spirit of democracy’. They also mentioned that ‘students in several university campuses in this country have been targeted by right-wing political outfits over the last few years, where students have raised issues of caste discrimination and atrocities, and other forms of social and political oppression in the society. Now, quite appallingly, this trend is being introduced to IITs as well’, they said.

They further said that they demand a thriving academic atmosphere where people would be free to organise and register forms of protest in a democratic manner. Students were seen carrying placards with messages such as ‘Right to food is right to live’, ‘condemn the right-wing hooliganism’, and solidarity with the IIT-Madras students.