Mumbai: The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), a students’ group at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), has strongly condemned the administration’s decision to cancel a panel discussion titled "What it Takes: Re-making the Workplace (Or, How Bhanwari Devi Changed Our World)”, which was scheduled for January 4.
The event, organised by the institute’s Gender Cell, aimed to address critical issues surrounding gender injustice and highlight the role of Bhanwari Devi in shaping the fight against sexual harassment. At the time of going to print, IIT-B was yet to respond to a query by the FPJ seeking clarification.
For three decades, Devi has been a relentless advocate for justice against five men who allegedly raped, assaulted, and harassed her for trying to prevent a child marriage in their family. Her unwavering legal fight in the 1990s has been instrumental in shaping India's laws protecting women from sexual harassment, culminating in the landmark Vishakha guidelines established by the Supreme Court in 1997. These guidelines set the framework for addressing sexual harassment in the workplace and have since become a cornerstone of workplace justice.
The panel was to reflect on Devi’s contributions and the broader women’s movement in the 1970s and 80s, which sought to dismantle patriarchal structures within institutions.
However, despite the organisers’ adherence to procedural guidelines, the event was abruptly cancelled by the IIT-B administration and the decision has been met with strong criticism from several students, who view it as a deliberate attempt to stifle critical discourse on caste and gender equity.
In a statement, APPSC expressed concern over the opaque administrative processes that led to the cancellation, highlighting the anonymous objections that were raised. “This cancellation points to an alarming suppression of necessary discussions on issues of caste and gender," they said. “It betrays the core values of inclusivity, transparency, and academic freedom, and represents a significant setback in the fight against patriarchy.”
The students’ group also drew attention to the broader context in which the cancellation occurred, pointing to the rising tide of violence against women in India, from the cases of Unnao and Hathras to the ongoing struggles of women wrestlers. The panel, they argued, would have provided a timely and crucial intervention in the contemporary women’s movement, which is currently facing increasing challenges under neoliberal and patriarchal forces.
In their statement, APPSC reaffirmed their commitment to the fight for gender justice and urged the IIT-B administration to reinstate the event. They called on the institute to uphold its responsibility to foster an environment of open intellectual engagement, one that supports critical inquiry and the pursuit of social justice.
“This is a disservice to the spirit of academic inquiry and the commitment to social justice that institutions like ours are supposed to embody. Conversations around caste and gender are vital for creating an egalitarian society, and they should never be suppressed,” they said.
