NSUI stages protest over IIT Madras' student body ban

National Students' Union of India (NSUI) members on Saturday staged a protest here against the ban imposed by Indian institute of Technology (IIT) Madras on a student's group by for allegedly criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The protestors were seen carrying placards with messages such as 'don't kill democracy' and 'stop curtailing freedom of speech'.

"A student's group was banned in IIT Madras by the BJP government, NSUI is the voice of students across the country, and we will not let the voice of the students to be suppressed. We have a right to raise voice, we will not tolerate anything against the students," said one of the protestors.

"The way the voices are being suppressed, the way we were treated yesterday when we protested against this, it is not right. We were kept in custody till very late in the night. We were called goons by

the HRD Minister," said another protestor.

On Friday, IIT Madras had justified its decision to ban the group, clarifying that the body was merely temporarily derecognised for violating the guidelines of the institute.

The institute had earlier de-recognised the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle over an anonymous complaint to the Central government that it was trying to spread hatred towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies by distributing provocative pamphlets and posters in the campus, igniting a massive controversy.