IIT-Roorkee tells students not to ‘show affinity to political movements like the one currently’
3 min readDehradunJul 21, 2026 03:39 PM IST
Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) supporters gather during a protest march. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)
The Indian Institute of Roorkee has asked its students not to join political discussions or activities and make a statement without the permission of the institute.
In a mail from the Registrar of the institute dated July 20, students were told: “It has been noticed on social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, etc that some of the campus inmates (have) shown their affinity with political movements like the one currently, in public utterance and in public criticism.”
“All the students, employees, stakeholders are politely reminded herewith that IIT admitted students or appointed staff to provide for instructions, research and for the advancement of learning, and dissemination of knowledge in engineering, technology, sciences and arts. It is engraved in the notified conduct rules that no student or employee will be allowed to join political discussion or participate in any political activity without prior permission for the institute or make any statement or opinion in any broadcast/telecast or in any print or electronic media in any public utterance which is capable of embarrassing the relations between the institute and the Central Government or any other Organisations or members of the public,” it stated.
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Though the mail comes against the backdrop of the Jantar Mantar protests led by the Cockroach Janta Party, it did not mention that by name.
On the same day as the mail, the institute had posted on X that it “is committed to maintaining the distinction between personal expressions and official institutional communications”.
“Any views or content shared by individuals in their personal capacity are their own and should not be interpreted as reflecting the position or endorsement of the Institute. Official communications of IIT Roorkee are issued only through its designated and authorised channels,” the post said.
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Issuing a statement to the media later, IIT Roorkee media in-charge, Sonika Srivastava, said that the communication is an internal advisory circulated among students, faculty, and staff at the commencement of each academic session.
“Similar advisories are routinely issued every year in accordance with the Institute’s existing notified conduct rules and do not constitute any new directive or policy. The communication should not be misinterpreted or viewed out of context,” the statement said.
Krishnanagar MP from the Trinamool Congress, Mahua Moitra, reacted sharply to the mail, posting on X that the public funds the institute. “Don’t you dare tell our kids to forego their constitutional right to free speech and protest. Retract this email and apologise,” she posted.
Aiswarya Raj is a Senior Correspondent for The Indian Express, covering Uttarakhand. She brings sound journalistic experience to her role, having started her career at the organisation as a sub-editor with the Delhi city team. She subsequently developed her reporting expertise by covering Gurugram and its neighbouring districts before transitioning to her current role as a resident correspondent in Dehradun. She is an alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ) and the University of Kerala. She has reported on the state politics, governance, environment and wildlife, and gender. Aiswarya has undertaken investigations using the Right to Information Act on law enforcement, public policy and procurement rules in Uttarakhand. She has also attempted narrative journalism on socio-economic matters affecting local communities. This specific, sustained focus on critical regional news provides the necessary foundation for high trustworthiness and authoritativeness on topics concerning Uttarakhand. ... Read More
Source: Indian Express
