Mumbai: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has withdrawn its name from an upcoming academic event after a flyer triggered a storm on social media. The flyer, which advertised a workshop on South Asian Capitalism, featured images of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath under the caption “We fool you.”
The design sparked outrage online, with critics questioning the role of IIT Bombay in such events. Harshil Mehta, who flagged the issue, shared the flyer widely on X, leading to calls for accountability.
In its clarification, IIT Bombay stated that the workshop is being organised by UC Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. The institute said it had a limited link through a project under the New Political Economy Initiative, but had no knowledge of the flyer’s content.
The administration said it immediately directed organisers to remove the flyer and delete IIT Bombay’s name from all promotional material. The programme details were also taken down from the New Political Economy Initiative website.
The institute added that no IIT Bombay faculty or students are participating in the conference and expressed strong disapproval of the flyer. It also announced that it would no longer associate with the faculty members responsible for the event and would investigate the matter further.
In an unusual move, IIT Bombay’s official handle blocked Harshil Mehta on X, drawing more criticism online.
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