IISER Mohali withdraws admission by-laws amid student concerns

“Any document signed by students pursuant to these by-laws shall stand cancelled and have no further force or effect,” Dcruz said.

The administration has now constituted a committee, including student representatives, to draft a document specifying the “Rights, Privileges and Responsibilities of Students”. The draft will be placed before the Senate for consideration and approval, with the provisions coming into effect only after such approval.

The withdrawal, however, has not ended the controversy. Students are seeking clarity on who authorised the disputed undertaking and how it became part of the admission documents without approval from the Senate.

A student leader, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration had repeatedly given assurances but failed to act on them. “The Director has been bypassing the requisite bodies, including the Senate as mandated under the IISER statutes, while pursuing his own ideas and approaches,” the student alleged.

The controversy comes days after a September 2 incident in which an employee of a private logistics company died in a lift-related accident on campus. Students alleged that the incident was not initially communicated to the wider student or faculty community and that the Registrar issued a statement only after repeated questions through emails.

The student community has demanded an internal inquiry into the lift’s maintenance and repairs, besides an independent safety audit of similar campus infrastructure.

Hostel accommodation for the newly admitted first-year students has also become a major concern. Students alleged that two students were accommodated in rooms meant for single occupancy, resulting in severely cramped conditions.

The SRC had sought an open house with the Dean (Students) on issues including disciplinary guidelines, warnings to parents, annual room and hostel changes, minutes of an earlier post-protest meeting, pharmacy and medical facilities, and room arrangements for the MS26 batch.

The situation was further aggravated, students said, by the death of a first-year student in the hostel. They alleged that the incident was not immediately communicated to the wider institute community. At a condolence meeting the following day, students said neither the Director nor the Dean (Students) addressed the student body as a whole.

Students have since demanded a transparent inquiry into hostel occupancy, a time-bound plan for hostel expansion and renovation, accountability for the lift accident and long-term support for the deceased worker’s family.

They have also sought transparency in the utilisation of recently increased fees, 24×7 medical and mental-health support, and a time-bound grievance-redressal mechanism.

Repeated attempts to contact the Dean (Students) for a response to the allegations remained unsuccessful.