- IIT Madras asked students to remove Instagram videos supporting protests
- Students received instructions from the Dean to take down protest posts
- A viral video showed students with banners supporting Jantar Mantar protests
As students' protests across the country continued in different ways, such as raising slogans, expressing views on banners, and making short videos, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras asked students to take down the videos posted on their Instagram accounts.
An IIT Madras student, on the condition of anonymity, said, "The university asked us to take down the Instagram videos in support of the student protests."
The student shared that they were asked by the Dean to follow the directions. "Guys, we were asked by the Dean to take down the posts related to the Jantar Mantar protests. Our faculty advisor was called. We will be taking down those posts, including the solidarity video. Since you guys had contributed to the video, we thought it was important to let you know," reads a message received by an IIT Madras student.
A short video showing students carrying a banner that read, "Solidarity with Jantar Mantar protest. Solidarity with Wangchuk and students on hunger strike. Students' lives matter, etc.," went viral on social media platforms, following which IIT Madras took cognizance.
The protest began with the satire "Cockroach Janta Party" Instagram handle, created by Abhijeet Dipke, which was later joined by educator Sonam Wangchuk during his hunger strike at Jantar Mantar in the national capital. Thousands of students joined the protest on July 20, and Mumbai also witnessed a massive students' protest on Wednesday.