IIT Guwahati students step up protest against fee hike

GUWAHATI Research scholars and post-graduate students of the Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT-G) have stepped up their protest against a “steep” fee hike, which the institute said was necessary to support enhanced student welfare and activities.

The protestors said the fee hike decision was made without any transparency and without consulting the students, particularly the PhD scholars.

“None of the 8,500 students was informed about the fee revision, which popped up suddenly on the fee payment portal,” one of the scholars said, declining to be named.

The students began protesting on July 22 after talks with the management failed, demanding an official confirmation from the IIT-G authorities that there would be no penalty or late fines and that no fellowship would be deducted due to delayed fee payments and a revised fee structure.

The IIT-G defended the upward revision of the fee by ₹8,900 per semester for “continuing students” after a gap of seven years.

“The revision is to support enhanced student welfare and activities, including increased allocations for hostel-level events, cultural and sports festivals, and Gymkhana-led initiatives beyond just Inter-IIT participation,” a statement issued by the institute read.

“The administration had a four-hour open discussion on July 17 and provided detailed clarifications on the increased components of the fee. The students were also informed that the institute has made provisions for loans through the Students’ Welfare Fund to support the needy ones,” it said.

It further stated that after the meeting, the students were asked to submit their views on the fee revision. “No submission was received,” the statement read.

“However, suddenly, on July 22, a small group of students gathered in front of the administrative building and started protesting without any prior notice and without submitting any representation of their concerns. While a small group of students is protesting, the majority of the 8,400-strong student body is not participating in the protest,” the IIT-G stated.