IIT Bombay's recent student protests exposed a deep ideological rift between engineering and humanities students. This conflict pits "hyper-apolitical" engineers against HSS students seen as "narrative-pushing socio-drama queens" on campus. The clash escalated after the IIT Bombay student council disavowed the protests, citing disruption to academics.
How We Got Here
The tensions, perpetually simmering, boiled over at IIT Bombay following the death by suicide of Sahil Wakode in September. Protests led largely by HSS doctoral students centered on a professor and invoked the SC/ST Act, eventually leading to his deanship loss.
The Numbers
- A Reddit user on IIT Bombay's community page wrote in September, "We don’t want stupid narrative-pushing socio-drama queens on this campus anymore!"
- "HSS" has become an adjective; a former IIT Madras student cited "oh you’re being so HSS" as a common retort for "woke" comments.
- When HSS-led left groups protested Wakode's death, some engineering students staged a "protest in front of the protest."
- In early October, the IIT Bombay student council publicly distanced itself from the protests, stating they disrupted classes and placements.
- Some HSS faculty concede their side's "obsession" with "moral purity" contributes to the distance from engineers.
What Happens Next
🇮🇳 Why This Matters for India
For Bangalore's tech founders and Mumbai's investors, this ideological split among future IIT graduates signals a potential fragmentation within India's top talent pipeline.
The Take
This conflict highlights a deep, unaddressed chasm within India's educated elite, contrasting technical meritocracy with social consciousness. Expect this ideological split to manifest in future workplace dynamics, creating unexpected friction for founders hiring from these top institutions.
Source:
The Ken ↗