IIT Madras students asked to remove Instagram posts backing NEET leak protest
As student protests over the NEET paper leak continued to spread across the country, students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have alleged that the institute asked them to remove Instagram posts expressing solidarity with the ongoing demonstrations.
An IIT Madras student, speaking on the condition of anonymity, claimed the administration directed students to take down videos supporting the protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
"The university asked us to take down the Instagram videos in support of the student protests," the student said.
'Dean asked us to remove the posts'
According to the student, the instructions came through faculty members after the Dean intervened.
A message shared with students read: "Guys, we were asked by the Dean to take down the posts related to the Jantar Mantar protests.
"Our faculty advisor was called. We will be taking down those posts, including the solidarity video. Since you guys had contributed to the video, we thought it was important to let you know."
The institute has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.
Solidarity video went viral
The controversy surfaced after a video showing IIT Madras students holding a banner in support of the protesters gained traction on social media.
The banner carried messages including:
- "Solidarity with Jantar Mantar protest."
- "Solidarity with Wangchuk and students on hunger strike."
- "Students' lives matter."
Following the video's circulation online, students alleged that the administration took cognisance of the posts and asked for their removal.
Protests gather momentum nationwide
The nationwide movement against the NEET paper leak has seen students adopt various forms of protest, including demonstrations, slogan-shouting, social media campaigns, banners and short videos.
"मैं नरेंद्र मोदी को धन्यवाद कहना चाहता हूं क्योंकि अगर वो सोनम वांगचुक को यहां (जंतर-मंतर) से ना हटाते तो हमारा आंदोलन इतना बड़ा नहीं बनता..."- अभिजीत दीपके pic.twitter.com/HIrxuWtbqD
— Cockroach Janta Party (@CJP_for_India) July 23, 2026
The agitation began around the satirical Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) social media campaign launched by Abhijeet Dipke and later gathered momentum after education reform activist Sonam Wangchuk joined the movement with an indefinite hunger strike at Delhi's Jantar Mantar.
The protests have since expanded across several cities, with thousands of students participating in demonstrations on July 20 and large gatherings also reported in Mumbai on Wednesday.
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