IIT-Bombay imposes Rs 1.2 lakh fine on student for ‘derogatory’ play on Ram, Sita

The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay imposed a fine of Rs 1.2 lakh on a student who participated in a play loosely based on the epic Ramayana, after some students alleged that it was disrespectful to Hinduism, reported The Indian Express.

A group of students participated in a play titled “Raahovan” during the institute’s Performing Arts Festival held in March. The play was described as a feminist reinterpretation of the Ramayana with altered character names and storyline, an unidentified associate from the institute told the newspaper.

At the time, the audience and the judges did not object to it, they said.

However, a section of students objected to the reinterpretation of the epic and called it disrespectful towards Hindu deities Ram and Sita.

The notice sent to the student by the college administration was also shared on social media platform X by an account named “IIT B for Bharat”, which is a campus group that claims to uphold “Indic civilisational values”.

On Wednesday, the group welcomed the institute’s actions. “The play depicted the Ramayana in a derogatory manner,” the post said. “These students misused academic freedom to ridicule Lord Ram, Mata Sita, and Lord Laxman.”

While the notice sent to one student was leaked and posted on X, The Indian Express reports that seven other students who participated...

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