‘Resist hate and selfishly motivated provocation’: IIT Madras student leader appeals to peers

The post comes hours after a PhD scholar was attacked allegedly by a group of eight students for participating in the beef fest.
‘Resist hate and selfishly motivated provocation’: IIT Madras student leader appeals to peers
‘Resist hate and selfishly motivated provocation’: IIT Madras student leader appeals to peers
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Hours after an IIT-Madras scholar was beaten for participating in a beef fest, a student leader of the institute has urged the student community to “resist hate and selfishly motivated provocation”.

Sooraj, a PhD Scholar belonging to the Department of Aerospace was attacked allegedly by a few right wing students at the mess on campus on Tuesday afternoon.   He has sustained injuries to his right eye and has been taken to Sankara Nethralaya Eye Hospital.

Though Sooraj's friends say that a group of students attacked him, another student from IIT-M, who did not want to be named said that the fight had erupted between two students over eating beef and there was no 'group' involved.

In a written appeal to his peers, Sai Kiran GL, Students’ General Secretary at IIT Madras stated:

“Today, a deeply saddening occurrence of physical violence over a ban protest has prompted me to write this message. We are a country which is celebrated for its tolerance and acceptance. Caught in alarming hate politics, we should, now of all times, set an example by respecting everyone’s viewpoints and supporting causes for the right reasons. I ask this of the students who attempt to create a charged atmosphere in the institute: what do you wish to achieve by backing your beliefs through engaging in violence and promoting hate? Is it not soiling the standing of your very causes, noble as they may be?”

Expressing anguish over the incident Sai Kiran, an undergraduate junior belonging to the Department of Physics notes, “But what is highly distressing is that some students of insti (institute) have seen see it fit to force their opinions on fellow students through undesirable activities. On behalf of the entire student community, I wish to express my anguish over the conflicts. I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that as students of one of the most respected colleges of our country, we need to be far more accepting of differences and far less welcoming of the antagonizing politics that plague several colleges today.”

He argues that while the institute provides certain liberties including protests, the activities of a section of students may be negatively viewed as that of the entire IIT-M community, which is primarily known for its academic accomplishments.   

Sai Kiran concludes his appeal by urging the student community to reflect over the events that have happened. “I trust we will prove ourselves to be above indulging in violence to prove our points. What we need is an environment which is capable of informed discussion and which respects everyone regardless of their views. There is no cause that is worth comprising this environment for. I request you to reflect over what happened and contribute towards building such an environment,” he writes.  

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