MUMBAI: At least eight IIT-Bombay students, some of them graduating and the others junior, have been penalised with fines of up to Rs 1.2 lakh for staging a play, Raahovan, during the institute's annual performing arts festival on March 31.
The play, loosely based on the Ramayana, depicted the lead characters in a "derogatory manner," claimed complaints made by a section of students.
While graduating students have been penalised with a fine of Rs 1.2 lakh each and will not get any recognition for any gymkhana awards, the junior students have been asked to pay Rs 40,000 each and have also been debarred from hostel facilities, a student said. The institute has taken action based on recommendations of a disciplinary action committee after the complaints.
The Performing Arts Festival, or PAF, is an annual cultural event of IIT-Bombay. It was held in March this year, and the play was staged at the open-air theatre on the campus on March 31. A video went viral in the next few days, showing clippings of the play vis-a-vis the facts from the Ramayana, sparking a debate on artistic freedom and on hurting religious sentiments.
While complaints were sent to the institute in writing, one such complainant told TOI the play was derogatory in many ways and the students had made a mockery of culture in the name of showing feminism.
A social media handle claimed that the students had abused their academic freedom and that the institute should establish guidelines to ensure no religion is ridiculed under the guise of freedom of expression on the campus in future.
However, several students on campus claimed the harsh action was uncalled for. The play, in fact, a student said, was a feminist take on a tribal society and was well received by the audience and the judges.
While the institute authorities did not comment on the issue, another student said the institute should explain how the confidential document about the action taken has been leaked on social media.