Institute Of Engineering And Technology’s Gen-Z Proves Nemesis To DAVV

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): The latest incident of hostel vandalism at the Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) is far from isolated. It marks another chapter in a growing pattern of violence, indiscipline and lawlessness that has increasingly come to define Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya's premier engineering institute.

From ragging and violent hostel clashes to alleged drug abuse and bizarre “Gen-Z protest” conspiracies, IET has repeatedly landed in controversy for the wrong reasons.

The recent incident, in which hostel inmates allegedly went on a drunken rampage and damaged government property during a booze party, has once again exposed the administration's inability to control unruly elements inside campus hostels.

What was once seen as isolated misconduct now appears to have evolved into a culture of aggression and mob behaviour among sections of students.

Ironically, while university authorities continue to preach value-based education, repeated incidents at IET raise serious questions over the institution's failure to enforce basic civic discipline.

IET remains the only teaching department on the University Teaching Department (UTD) campus to consistently report ragging cases year after year. While other departments have reported almost no ragging incidents in the past decade, IET alone has witnessed nearly 20 cases. Though disciplinary action was taken against several students, the problem has persisted.

In one of the strangest incidents reported on campus, Bhanwarkuan Police registered an FIR against four first-year IET students for allegedly damaging CCTV cameras, stealing a DVR from the hostel premises and plotting a Nepal-style Gen-Z protest movement inside the university.

The incident took place on Sept 26 last year, when the students allegedly entered the hostel through a window and attempted to tamper with surveillance systems before being caught by a security guard.

The anti-ragging committee later claimed that senior students were trying to engineer a social media-driven protest campaign modelled on Nepal's Gen-Z demonstrations.

Junior students were allegedly pressured into creating fake Gmail and Twitter accounts to circulate messages drafted by seniors. During the probe, names of several senior students surfaced and the investigation eventually widened to nearly 93 students allegedly linked to the conspiracy.

In another incident in 2024, a dispute over filling drinking water escalated into a violent clash between inmates of two boys' hostels. According to reports, an argument broke out after a student from one hostel went to another to fill a water bottle. The situation turned violent after some hostellers allegedly assaulted the student.

Soon, students from both hostels gathered in support of their groups and began attacking each other. The clash escalated into stone pelting inside the campus, leaving one student injured. Police were later called to restore order, though no formal complaint was lodged.

Last week, four IET students were arrested after a surprise inspection allegedly caught them consuming ganja and liquor inside a hostel room.

During the inspection at Category-A hostel, a third-year BTech student and three first-year students were allegedly found using a plastic bottle and tube as makeshift smoking equipment.

The university team informed IET director Pratosh Bansal, following which Bhanwarkuan Police registered a case and arrested the students.

The disciplinary committee later recommended expulsion of all four students, who were reportedly involved in previous ragging and indiscipline-related incidents as well.

The repeated controversies have now raised serious concerns over the deteriorating campus culture at IET and whether DAVV authorities still retain effective control over one of their premier institutes.