‘Part of culture’? IIT Ropar PhD scholars say fear keeps harassment cases buried, rarely reach ICC

Soon after Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar placed assistant professor on “forced leave” for alleged sexual harassment of a PhD student, another has come forward with allegations of her own

In a recent post on professional social media platform, LinkedIn, she spoke about her complaint against a professor in the biomedical engineering department with the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) in 2023. He had “asked for a relationship”, she said, and touched her “inappropriately”. The ICC complaint led to the professor being changed. She suggested that sexual harassment on campus is common and chose to speak up after a first-year researcher in the physics department did. Another PhD student, who asked not to be named, said that “in some labs, it is [part of] the culture”.

Plus, complaints are rarely handled sensitively, they alleged, and speaking out on social media invites punishment. A former PhD student said – and shared emails supporting the claim – that in 2025, several students faced fines up to Rs 10,000 for social media posts. Others fear backlash on the academic front. This is why, they said, students are afraid to speak up on campus.

That said, opinion is divided on how widespread the problem is. While several students maintained that such cases are common although rarely publicised, at least one former PhD scholar said it is not common and the cases emerging are “shocking instances” for him.

IIT Ropar, in response to questions from Academia360, said, “IIT Ropar is committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment for every student, faculty member, staff, and stakeholder associated with the institute. We take all complaints of harassment seriously and address them promptly through established institutional mechanisms, including the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) wherever the matter falls within its jurisdiction.”

IIT Ropar: ‘Not isolated case’

Even those who haven’t spoken up on social media have stories. One student, recounting her own experience, said her professor made her sit with him for “five to six hours” without discussing any academic work. “I joined in January and started working in March. After six months of being uncomfortable, I went to the ICC,” she said.

The student alleged that such incidents are not isolated on campus. “I have seen at least three to four cases in a timeline of three years. Many female students don't speak up about it,” she added. According to students on campus, few complaints actually formally reach the ICC and are instead “resolved” or suppressed within departments.

Another former PhD student said, “I have seen professors endorse vulgarity in the lab.”

“IIT Ropar… respects and upholds every student’s right to raise genuine concerns. At the same time, all members of the institute are expected to adhere to the code of conduct and applicable institutional rules. Any disciplinary action taken by the institute is based on specific, established violations and not on the act of raising a concern itself,” the institute said in response.

‘Criticism is discouraged’

According to students, the campus environment discourages open criticism or public conversations around administrative decisions and student welfare issues. “The environment is not open to [students speaking out],” another former scholar alleged.

Scrutiny of online activities is now increasingly common. In 2025, a few students faced disciplinary action after posting concerns on social media. “A student wrote on social media voicing their concerns about the poor administration because no one was listening on campus. The student who wrote and the students who liked the post were fined Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000, respectively,” the former student said. Academia360 has seen the emails informing students of the fines.

“Even with the recent case, no one came forward because students are afraid to support others. Students are aware the administration is monitoring every move online,” the former scholar added.

IIT Ropar ICC functioning

Former and current students, even former employees, raised questions about the functioning and independence of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) at the engineering college.

A former employee alleged that the committee lacks independence from the institute administration and faculty members.

“ICC is a toothless body at IIT Ropar where professors from the campus look into the cases. Also, the ICC has an advocate who is the institute's in-house advocate,” the former employee said.

IIT Ropar has countered this saying: “The ICC functions independently and with full due process, including external representation as mandated. The institute does not interfere with the ICC’s proceedings, findings, or recommendations in any manner. Given the confidential and sensitive nature of such matters, the institute is not in a position to comment on individual cases, identities, evidence, proceedings, or outcomes in the public domain. We request all concerned to respect this position.”

A former member of the ICC also defended the committee’s functioning, saying strict action had been taken in previous cases involving both faculty and students. “Previously, serious steps have been taken by the ICC committee related to staff, faculty, even the girl students,” the former ICC member said.

She added that action was taken irrespective of gender or position in cases where allegations or misconduct were found to be valid. “When we found wrong allegations or actions from both the students’ and faculty side, whether male and female, we [took] serious steps against both,” the member added. She also added that during her tenure, she wasn't asked to suppress any case.

Action was taken even when photos were circulated without consent. “Some inappropriate pictures of girls were shared on social media. We took strict action against the students. However, no students were fined for writing on social media. Things have changed on campus,” she said.

“As an institution, IIT Ropar does not suppress complaints. Any complaint related to sexual harassment that is reported or brought to the notice of the institute is referred to the ICC or any other appropriate authority as per the applicable rules and law. Other concerns of an academic, supervisory, administrative, or disciplinary nature are addressed through the relevant institutional mechanisms without delay,” said IIT Ropar’s statement.

A former research scholar, however, pointed out that students don’t have confidence in the neutrality of ICCs because committee members often share professional relationships with accused faculty members. “When such issues are brought to a committee, the majority of them [ICC members] are the colleagues of the professor and take the side of that professor,” they alleged.

Punishments are not harsh enough to deter others, feel students and even the odd faculty member. “Professors must be more responsible. The institute should have suspended the professor. The real power is not with the ICC but with the director,” the former professor said.

12.6% IIT Ropar faculty women

At the same time, another former PhD scholar cautioned against seeing the incidents reported as representative of the entire campus culture. “It’s not a cultural thing on campus. All these are shocking instances for me,” the former scholar said.

Another PhD student pointed to the low number of women faculty members on campus, saying that the lack of female mentors limits the support system available to women scholars in difficult situations. Data submitted to the government for ranking under the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) shows that just 24 of IIT Ropar’s 190 teachers are women.

“The institute remains committed to continuously strengthening its gender sensitivity framework, student support systems, and grievance redressal mechanisms. We are also actively working to improve women’s representation in faculty recruitment while upholding merit and academic excellence. IIT Ropar will continue to act responsibly, transparently, and within the framework of the law in all such matters,” IIT Ropar said.