New Delhi: Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) is facing backlash over signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISKCON for programmes aimed at student well-being, stress management and value-based education, with people on social media questioning the involvement of a religious organisation in such initiatives and whether the collaboration is in keeping with scientific temper.
The institute Monday deleted its posts on X announcing the collaboration.
The MoU has been signed at a time IITs are facing concerns over rising cases of student suicides, with IIT Delhi coming under the spotlight following a recent case of suicide by a student.
In an X post Saturday, IIT Kanpur announced the signing of a two-year MoU with ISKCON, providing a framework for the organisation to conduct voluntary educational and well-being programmes for interested IIT-K students.
“Under the collaboration, ISKCON may offer a series of certified courses covering areas such as self-management, wellness, personal development, stress management, and self-esteem. Each course will comprise eight one-hour sessions, with participation entirely voluntary,” the post stated.
The programmes are intended to provide students with opportunities for “personal growth” and “holistic development” alongside their academic pursuits.
The collaboration, according to the post, reflects a shared commitment to complementing academic education with ethical values, self-discipline and well-being.
IIT-Kanpur Director Professor Manindra Agrawal told ThePrint that the MoU was signed on the initiative of the students’ body. Defending the collaboration, he said, “We are always looking for help for students on campus who are facing difficulties. Anybody who offers help and has a track record of doing well, we are open to taking it.”
On criticism calling it pseudoscience or against scientific temper, Agrawal said, “Meditation is not pseudoscience. There are well documented benefits of it. Specifically, it has a calming effect on the mind.”
Agrawal, however, said he was not aware about the announcement post being deleted from X.
The announcement received significant backlash on social media with students, alumni and other social media users criticising the collaboration.
“As an alumni of IIT-K, I’m disappointed with this decision. Education and religion should have no intersection,” writes Amit Saharan.
Another X user Karan Tandon termed it a “sad day for IITs”.
“A country whose Constitution asks citizens to develop a scientific temper, spirit of inquiry and reform is now watching one of its premier science institutions advertise “value-based education” with a deeply controversial religious organisation like ISKCON. Science demands evidence, scepticism and questioning. Religion rests on faith and doctrine. Blurring that line inside an IIT is not holistic education; it is a symptom of how badly India’s scientific temper has been eroded under this government,” Tandon posted.
In a Facebook post, an IIT Kanpur student Niles Mondal, who criticised the collaboration in a public post, questioned why the institute was partnering with ISKCON for programmes on student well-being and stress management. “Do we not have psychologists in this country for stress management? Do we not have mental health professionals? Behavioral scientists? Philosophers, sociologists, and educationists?” he wrote, arguing that such issues should be addressed through “evidence-based science, philosophy, and professional counselling”.
ThePrint has reached out to ISKCON’s Kanpur centre via email for a comment. This report will be updated as and when there is a response.
This is not the first time an IIT has collaborated with an organisation associated with ISKCON, with IIT Mandi having signed an MoU with ISKCON’s Bhaktivedanta Research Centre in 2025 for research and education in Indian Knowledge Systems.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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