The ongoing IIT Madras versus the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC) controversy, in a way, has done more good than harm.  Good, because it has united IITians and IIT students across the board and that too for a cause that is too simple to feel cliquish about – freedom of expression. 

Harm because, a controversy which was never meant to be, got to the front pages of the national dailies and and prime time slots on  television channels. Why on Earth did the HRD ministry act on an anonymous complaint when the department possibly receives hundreds such quibbling  plaints every month? We know the answer to that and also what ensues when students/janta murmur against powers that be. 

Harm also, because again Indians have proved that bowing down to the baby-kissers is the most convenient way to live life.  And definitely more if it comes with  rozi-roti as an attachment. In this case, it gets murkier since the process that followed the complaint even went against the CVC (Central Vigilance Commission). The government body that is supposed to check into government corruption changed rules a while ago and made it mandatory that all anonymous complaints are ignored. 

The complaint forwarded, was in fact a pamphlet which had the the copy of a speech by a Dravidian University academic R Vivekandanda Gopal on the “Contemporary relevance of Dr Ambedkar.” At the function hosted by APSC on campus,  Gopal allegedly passed some critical  comments on some of Modi’s policies.

But what is really bugging the protesting IIT students is that  the government/HRD  hasn’t responded to several named letters which were sent a couple of months back concerning  a hike in research scholarship. And this pamphlet,  which was unsigned got more than its share of attention. The ‘complaint’ was initially sent on  April 29, the ministry sent it to IIT Madras for an answer and on May 22, a decision to ban APSC was taken – all within days. 

But what I best liked about this yet unresolved squabble is that  a whole group of young people have come together to be heard and to retain their right to free speech. It has bonded the present batch of IIT students, who are not often in sync otherwise. 

“More than anything,  members of APSC, are also questioning why they were denied a hearing and an unsigned letter be taken as an opinion of students,” Rahul Maganti, an IITian from IIT Bombay who is on the forefront of the battle, told PaGaLGuY. 

And the biggest spin-off of this tiff is that IITs are now on a spree of establishing similar thinking groups to encourage free flow of thought –  IIT Jodhpur for one, has sent up a similar group. The original APSC of IIT Madras came into existence  on April 14, 2014 by a group of politically-inclined students to support and encourage the writings of B R Ambedkar and Periyar.

With this rumpus, many such APSCs are going to see the light of the day. Public servants beware.