IIT Bombay’s professors face backlash for framing questions aimed at insulting Hindutva

Mumbai. The Department of Humanities and Social Sciences at IIT Bombay has come under scrutiny after allegations surfaced that anti-Hindu professors openly insulted Hindutva during a PhD. Entrance Exam in Sociology. The exam, held on May 7, 2024, featured a question labelling Hindutva as “Hegemony”, indicating a bias against the religion. The question said, “What does Antonio Gramsci mean by hegemony? Is Hindutva hegemony or counter-hegemony? Discuss”.

The question, designed to assess candidates’ ideologies, has not only raised concerns about the impartiality of the examination process but also allegedly disadvantaged students who did not align with the professors’ narrative, potentially affecting the selection process.

Additionally, the exam included another contentious question focusing on caste and communal violence: “Comment on the similarities between caste violence and communal violence”. This further adds to the controversy surrounding the examination paper.

Calls have been made for action against the panel responsible for setting the Sociology question paper.

The incident has sparked debate about academic integrity and the importance of maintaining impartiality in educational institutions. It remains to be seen how IIT Bombay will address these allegations and ensure fairness in future examinations.