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After exam question on Arvind Kejriwal sparks outrage, IIT Kanpur issues statement

The question was part of an electrical engineering quiz held on February 11 at IIT Kanpur.

Arvind Kejriwal's question in IIT Kanpur's exam was worth four marks

A question from an IIT Kanpur exam has gone viral for its unusual political reference, sparking outrage on social media. The question, part of an electrical engineering quiz (ESC201) held on 11 February, asked students to design a filter to help former Delhi CM and IIT Kharagpur alumnus Arvind Kejriwal tune into PM Modi’s Mann Ki Baat on Vividh Bharti FM—after what the question described as his “crushing defeat” in the 2025 Delhi Assembly elections.

Students were tasked with creating this filter using only a 50-ohm resistor, along with a variable inductor and capacitor. As per the question, this restriction is because Kejriwal already spent heavily on his election campaign. The filter needed to allow one radio channel to pass while attenuating adjacent channels by -60 dB. The problem was worth four marks, requiring students to calculate the quality factor and determine the values of inductance and capacitance.

After the question surfaced online—initially posted by X user Shefali Vaidya—it quickly gained traction on X, racking up over five lakh views.

See the post:

To the @IITKanpur prof who designed this question, आपके चरण कहाँ हैं गुरूवर? pic.twitter.com/uP0NYa5cpq

— Shefali Vaidya. 🇮🇳 (@ShefVaidya) February 21, 2025

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Reactions ranged from laughter to concern. One user wrote, “Question itself deserves ten marks! And every student who answers the question without laughing out loud should get 10 grace marks.”

Another X user said, “Samajh me kuchh nahi aya, par padh ke acha laga (Didn’t understand anything but felt good reading.)”

There were many who were not amused. A user criticised the institution, saying, “This is a Question paper from one of India’s premier institutes, IIT Kanpur. Taking a cheap jibe at an opposition leader through this question not only lowers the dignity of an institution like IIT Kanpur but also proves that Sanghis have hijacked even educational institutions. Pathetic.”

This is a Question paper from one of India’s premiere institutes, IIT, Kanpur.

Taking a cheap jibe at an opposition leader through this question not only lowers the dignity of an institution like IIT Kanpur but also proves that Sanghis have hijacked even educational… pic.twitter.com/abUrtKy6J3

— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) February 21, 2025

Responding to the backlash, IIT Kanpur issued a clarification stating that incorporating pop culture and political figures into academic questions is a common practice meant to make learning more engaging. The institute emphasised that there was no ulterior motive behind the reference. “The mention of the reference in the question was intended to make the topic more relevant.” They added that past exam questions had also featured characters like Tony Stark.

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