IIT students protest against fee hike with ‘kam karo, fee kam karo’ slogans; watch video

Students at IIT Guwahati staged a major protest on Tuesday over what they described as an “exceptionally high” increase in academic fees. Hundreds of research scholars and MTech students assembled on campus, shouting slogans like “Kam karo, kam karo, fee hike kam karo (Reduce fee hike),” expressing their discontent with the newly implemented fee structure.

This year’s revised fees include significant hikes not only for PhD scholars but also for BTech and MTech students. The unrest follows an open house session held on July 17, where the administration—including the director, deans of student and academic affairs, and other senior officials—allegedly assured students that their concerns regarding the fee hike would be addressed.

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“An open house discussion was held last week, and the administration said that they are there to listen to us, but it appears that they were there to buy time. Tuesday (July 22) was the day of registration for the July-November semester. However, you cannot register without paying the fee, and the premier institute did not communicate properly on the status of registration because, after the open house, we were promised a revision of the fee,” said a PhD scholar, requesting anonymity.

Despite the apparent assurance, many students were reportedly denied registration when they visited their departmental offices, citing non-payment of the increased semester fee. While some students felt compelled to pay the fee to avoid academic disruption, the majority have chosen to withhold payment in protest.

“With their research stalled, the students have come out and are protesting in the heat,” added a source from the campus.

According to students, the fee for PhD scholars has been raised by ₹10,900—up from ₹34,800 in the January–May 2025 semester to ₹45,700 for the July–November term. Newly admitted scholars are expected to pay ₹92,000 at the start, with each semester costing around ₹57,000 thereafter—an amount that reportedly exceeds their monthly stipend by ₹20,000.

Part-time PhD candidates have also seen a sharp hike, with their fees increasing from ₹2,500 to ₹25,000 per semester. In addition, students allege that IIT Guwahati fails to provide the House Rent Allowance (HRA) that should be granted under central government provisions, while still charging hostel fees. “This means, IIT-G is pocketing the money twice from us,” claimed another PhD scholar.

Here’s what the revised fee structure reportedly includes

• Mess charges have increased from ₹12,000 in 2019–20 to ₹22,000, even as students complain of declining food quality and nutrition.
• Gymkhana fee doubled from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000.
• Medical fee rose five times—from ₹100 to ₹500.
• Hostel rent has doubled from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000, while the hostel fund has surged from ₹600 to ₹2,200.
• Enrollment or registration fee has increased from ₹1,000 to ₹2,000.
• Students also allege that a ₹1,300 fest fee per semester has been levied, despite the institute’s annual fest being a high-profile event in the Northeast.

BTech students are expected to join the protests soon, expanding the scope of the unrest. As of now, IIT Guwahati has not issued an official response to the allegations or the ongoing demonstrations.