Guwahati: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Guwahati has been rocked by widespread student protests over what is being described as an “exceptionally high” hike in fees. On Tuesday, hundreds of PhD, MTech, and research scholars gathered on campus chanting slogans like “Kam karo, kam karo, fee hike kam karo” (Reduce the fee hike), voicing anger at the administration’s failure to honour its commitment to review the increased fee structure. The unrest follows an open house session held on July 17, where the director and senior IIT-G officials assured students that the fee hike would be reconsidered. However, with no follow-up communication and the registration for the July-November semester beginning on July 22, students were reportedly denied registration unless they paid the full revised fees.
PhD scholars allege that the fee has increased from ₹34,800 to ₹45,700—a hike of ₹10,900. Newly admitted students are being asked to pay up to ₹92,000, while the regular semester fees for them are expected to touch ₹57,000—nearly ₹20,000 more than their monthly stipend. Part-time PhD scholars are also impacted, with fees skyrocketing from ₹2,500 to ₹25,000 per semester. Students further claim that IIT Guwahati is not disbursing the House Rent Allowance (HRA) provided by the central government, yet continues to collect hostel rent and associated charges, effectively making them pay twice for the same service.
A detailed breakdown of the revised fee structure has further fueled the outrage. The mess fee has risen from ₹12,000 in 2019-20 to ₹22,000, despite students complaining about the declining quality of food. The Gymkhana fee has doubled from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, while the medical fee has surged five-fold from ₹100 to ₹500. Hostel rent has doubled from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, and the hostel fund has gone up from ₹600 to ₹2,200. Registration and enrollment fees have also increased from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000. Additionally, a new fest fee of ₹1,300 per semester has been introduced, despite the annual fest already being a major institute-funded event.
Some students reluctantly paid the fees to avoid academic penalties, but many have refused, choosing instead to join the protest. With their research disrupted and academic activities stalled, students are continuing to demonstrate, demanding a rollback. BTech students are expected to join the protests soon, potentially escalating the movement. As of now, IIT Guwahati has not issued any official statement in response to the protests or the students’ allegations.
