‘They asked us to jump, run… it hurt’: Children made to participate in ‘product test’ at IIT-Madras

The controversy began after parents alleged that the school and IIT Madras authorities conducted the product test on August 19 without obtaining prior consent.

‘Smart sole and smartwatch’

Recounting the test process, a 10-year-old boy from the school told The Indian Express on Thursday evening that he was called by the school’s physical training teacher to have his height, weight, and foot size measured.

“A few days later, a group of people came to the school, and they removed my socks and shoes, took out the shoe pads, and inserted another shoe pad-like equipment, which was connected to a small machine, and it had a string tied to my leg. They also tied a wristwatch. It was very tight and it hurt, but they asked us to jump as high as we could, walk around the school grounds, jump again, and run around the school grounds. Two young people were taking videos,” he said.

He also said that before sending the students back, their temperature and other measurements were taken on a computer.

Another student described the process in a video taken by her parents. In the video, she said she was brought to the school grounds, where a “smart sole” was tied to her leg and a wristwatch was strapped on. “It didn’t suit two students, and they were sent back. A man was giving instructions about how to jump together and shooting it on a camera. We were breathing heavily after jumping and running, but when we asked for water, they said it would be over soon and we could drink later,” the girl said in the video.

‘Unusually tired’

A woman whose 10-year-old son participated in the study said she had to wait for over an hour for her son after other students had been released for lunch that day.

“I went to the school as usual that day around 12-12.30. Even after many students left, a few had not turned up. The teachers were clueless, and we were upset after an hour as we had no clue what had happened. We went to the ground at around 1.30 pm and found the children there. Their bags were left in the classroom, and they hadn’t eaten. We were furious. Then we realised that two parents had already confronted the IIT officials, and they stopped the activities,” she said.

“Later, in the parents’ group, we learned that several children were unusually tired, especially the girls, who complained of leg pain. Children then started telling us what had happened. This is how we decided to take this up,” the mother explained.

The school’s parent-teacher association raised the issue a day after the incident. Videos of children narrating the incident were sent to all the top IIT-Madras officials, but they allegedly got no replies. They have now moved the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC).

The parents alleged that the product trial violated the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019, and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940.

Senior SHRC judge, V Kannadasan, said the commission had received the complaints and sought a reply from the state school education director.

The State School Education Department summoned parents and school representatives for an inquiry on Friday.

The IIT Madras administration has made changes to address the issue.

A statement from IIT Madras said the principal of Vana Vani School, M Sathishkumar, was removed from his position and faculty members involved in the study were issued warnings. The statement claimed that a fact-finding committee formed by IIT Madras concluded that while the study did not involve medical procedures, the lack of parental consent violated protocol.

A father who is among those appearing for the inquiry on Friday said, “They conducted this during school hours without informing us. The children were made to jump, run, and go without water or lunch, fitted with gadgets measuring their health, without the presence of teachers… Why didn’t IIT Madras director V Kamakoti reply to emails sent by parents in the last two months? We sent him several communications expressing our willingness to appear in person with children and explain the violations. Why didn’t the fact-finding committee appointed by him inquire with parents or children who complained about this issue?”

‘No clinical trials’

IIT Madras, in its statement, said the product test was for the “feasibility of a cost-effective smart insole assembled using commercially available items” and claimed that “neither clinical trials nor any medical-related device trials were conducted” and that “neither medicine nor stimulants were given”. It also said “the study lasted for less than 10 minutes for each student”.

However, four students who spoke to The Indian Express said the process lasted more than 30 minutes, with the activities alone taking around 20 minutes.

The IIT Madras statement said, “According to the faculty, this was just a feasibility test and not a clinical trial, and hence it may not require permission from the parents.”

“It was found that no invasive procedures were performed, and no liquid or solids were administered to any of the students before or during the study,” the statement added.

However, it also said that the matter was “viewed seriously by the school management, and the principal of the school has been replaced”.

“The faculty of IITM was also warned, and administrative action was taken for not ascertaining that permission from parents was to be obtained before performing the feasibility study,” the statement said.