US Man Targets Indian Professor In Racist Post, Internet Highlights Her IIT Credentials

A US man's rant against Indian faculty at an American university spectacularly backfired on social media, as users highlighted the stellar achievements of one of the professors he singled out. The controversy began after an X user, who goes by the pseudonym Oilfield Rando, shared a list of Indian and Indian-origin professors at Montana State University. Among the names was Dr Shivali Banerjee, an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Process Engineering at the university.

Banerjee holds a PhD from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, one of India's most prestigious institutions for higher education and research.

The post appeared intended to draw attention to the number of Indian and Indian-origin faculty members at the American university. However, instead of receiving the response the user appeared to expect, it prompted many people to praise Banerjee's academic background and IIT Bombay's reputation.

Several social media users pointed out that gaining admission to IIT Bombay is highly competitive and argued that having an IIT graduate on its faculty is an asset for any university. Others highlighted the contribution of highly qualified Indian researchers and academics to universities and research institutions in the US.

Montana State University Professor Shivali Banerjee is a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay. https://t.co/ECB6Fk6xE1

— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) October 3, 2026

One user wrote, "It's harder to get into IIT Bombay than it is to get into Harvard or MIT." Another said, "Montana State is lucky to have a graduate from such a globally superlative college! What would be sweet is if we, as a country, could attract even more of the smartest people in the world to contribute to our economy and national security."

A third said, "Lol. When IITians graduate, American companies make a beeline to hire them. Sundar Pichai and Sanjay Mehrotra are IIT graduates."

"Literally a flex bro. IIT-B is dream of millions of aspirants. Hardest college to get into if you're an Indian. Selection rates lower than any Ivy League college. All JEE toppers choose it," added a fourth. 

A fifth stated, "The overall acceptance rate for the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) is approximately 0.5% to 1%, making it one of the most selective higher education systems in the world."

Rando also shared pictures and qualifications of other Indian-origin scholars in American academia, eliciting similar responses.