IIT Madras students seek action against scholar’s attackers

They asked the administration to look at CCTV footage of the campus hospital. They alleged that Manish had also threatened another student, Justin Joseph.

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Sooraj was taken from the campus hospital to a private eye hospital Tuesday evening, was shifted to Apollo Hospitals late in the night when doctors suggested a surgery.

More Than a hundred IIT students marched to their Madras campus on Wednesday, demanding the expulsion of alleged ABVP sympathisers who assaulted a PhD scholar at the premier engineering college for participating in a beef fest organised on the campus on Sunday night. The students in a petition to the IIT also said that Manish Kumar Singh, an ABVP sympathiser, and his associates followed the injured PhD scholar, R Sooraj, to the campus hospital and threatened the students who accompanied him. They asked the administration to look at CCTV footage of the campus hospital. They alleged that Manish had also threatened another student, Justin Joseph.

The students, who shouted anti-RSS slogans, carried banners that read, “We will take the cow rakshaks by their horns.” The protesters gathered outside IIT were detained by police. S Sivakumar, the dean of students, who spoke to two student representatives, said a committee would probe the incident.

A senior IIT official said the students demanded that the dean expel Manish, who allegedly attacked Sooraj, injuring his eye and fracturing a cheekbone. “They cited the history of Manish’s violent behaviour and formal complaints raised before the administration… We have promised action after the probe,” the official said. Sooraj, who was taken from the campus hospital to a private eye hospital Tuesday evening, was shifted to Apollo Hospitals late in the night when doctors suggested a surgery. Manish was admitted to the campus hospital later with a complaint of pain in his hand.

Police have booked eight IIT students, including Manish, for attacking Sooraj while a case has been registered against Sooraj on a complaint by Manish that he was assaulted.

Arun Janardhanan

Arun Janardhanan is an experienced and authoritative Tamil Nadu correspondent for The Indian Express. Based in the state, his reporting combines ground-level access with long-form clarity, offering readers a nuanced understanding of South India’s political, judicial, and cultural life - work that reflects both depth of expertise and sustained authority. Expertise Geographic Focus: As Tamil Nadu Correspondent focused on politics, crime, faith and disputes, Janardhanan has been also reporting extensively on Sri Lanka, producing a decade-long body of work on its elections, governance, and the aftermath of the Easter Sunday bombings through detailed stories and interviews. Key Coverage Areas: State Politics and Governance: Close reporting on the DMK and AIADMK, the emergence of new political actors such as actor Vijay’s TVK, internal party churn, Centre–State tensions, and the role of the Governor. Legal and Judicial Affairs: Consistent coverage of the Madras High Court, including religion-linked disputes and cases involving state authority and civil liberties. Investigations: Deep-dive series on landmark cases and unresolved questions, including the Tirupati encounter and the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, alongside multiple investigative series from Tamil Nadu. Culture, Society, and Crisis: Reporting on cultural organisations, language debates, and disaster coverage—from cyclones to prolonged monsoon emergencies—anchored in on-the-ground detail. His reporting has been recognised with the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. Beyond journalism, Janardhanan is also a screenwriter; his Malayalam feature film Aarkkariyam was released in 2021. ... Read More

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