The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar is facing intense criticism from Right-wing groups online, who claim that the institution is promoting Islamic theology under the guise of academic research.
The controversy erupted after thesis topics from students of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) were circulated online, prompting allegations of “Islamisation”.
According to The Telegraph, the backlash began on April 28 when an X user named Eminent Intellectual posted a sarcastic message along with select dissertation topics. The post referred to a fictional AI project named "Deepfaith", framing it as an Islam-inspired initiative that could rival tools like ChatGPT. The post ended with the remark: “AI = Ayatollah’s Intellect”.
The listed thesis topics included anthropological studies of Muslim-majority communities, Islamic clothing, and religious rituals. These topics were reportedly shared with students as part of dissertation defence invitations. As The Telegraph notes, the documents seem to have been selectively leaked, potentially to provoke outrage.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), affiliated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), issued a statement on Sunday expressing concern over what it described as a “troubling disregard for the cultural and national sentiments of students — particularly those from the Hindu community”.
In response, a student from the HSS department defended the programme, pointing out that nearly 20 students had also conducted research on Hindu traditions such as the Vedas, the Brahminical system, and temple management. “We have been targeted for no fault of ours,” the student said.
Manish Kumar, Associate Dean of Student Development at the institute, added that the criticism lacked academic merit. “We welcome feedback and constructive criticism through appropriate means,” he said, urging for discourse through scholarly channels instead of social media outcry.
