New Delhi: As controversy broke out last week over a flyer for a joint event by Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, University of California Berkeley and University of Massachusetts Amherst, there have been growing calls on social media to shut down Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) departments in the IITs over what is being termed as promotion of “liberal” and “leftist” views.
However, faculty and officials from several IITs the ThePrint spoke to said these departments play a crucial role in fostering diversity and critical thinking, equipping engineering students with essential skills to navigate today’s complex world.
It was last Wednesday that a flyer promoting a workshop titled “South Asian Capitalism(s)” was circulated on social media, drawing widespread criticism. It featured Indian politicians with the caption “we fool you” and Army and police personnel with the caption “we shoot you”.
In response, IIT Bombay quickly distanced itself from the event and announced it would sever ties with the faculty from the partner universities involved. But since then, there has been a campaign on social media to shut down HSS departments, alleging they have “no place” in technical institutes.
“Social sciences departments in the IITs have become deep state sponsored cesspools. They are outposts of foreign interests and are brainwashing some of our brightest. Shut them down—all of them. Immediately,” Gautam R. Desiraju, a structural chemist and emeritus professor at Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru, posted on X.
Social sciences departments in the IITs have become deep state sponsored cesspools. They are outposts of foreign interests and are brainwashing some of our brightest. Shut them down – all of them. Immediately.@EduMinOfIndia @SunilAmbekarM @TVMohandasPai @iitbombay https://t.co/gmYuyF5HWv
— Gautam R. Desiraju🇮🇳 (@GautamDesiraju) September 11, 2025
Author and entrepreneur Sankrant Sanu wrote on the platform that “it’s not just one poster. The problem lies within the humanities departments across India. It’s time to return IITs to their core mission”. There have been numerous such posts since last week.
It’s not a problem of one poster.
The rot is in humanities department across India.
Time to return IITs to their core mission. https://t.co/Qc36szenLx
— Sankrant Sanu सानु संक्रान्त ਸੰਕ੍ਰਾਂਤ ਸਾਨੁ (@sankrant) September 11, 2025
But senior officials from several IITs emphasised the vital role played by humanities departments.
“This diversity (on campus) breaks the stereotype that IITs are only for students qualifying through the general engineering route. IITs have evolved not just through a more varied student body but also with the growth of humanities and other non-STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programmes,” a senior faculty member from IIT Delhi’s HSS department told ThePrint.
Adding, “At IIT Delhi, alongside the traditional B.Tech and M.Tech programmes, we now offer a wide spectrum of degrees, including PhD, MSc, MS, MA, Master of Public Policy, Bachelor of Design and Master of Design. This academic diversity reflects how IITs have evolved far beyond their original mandate as purely technical institutions.”
“I believe this broader vision—while necessary and forward-looking—`. That discomfort, I think, partly explains the backlash we are witnessing today,” the faculty member said.
Professor Smita Jha, head of HSS department at IIT Roorkee, said criticism about offering the discipline in technical institutions often reflects broader societal debates about the relevance of these fields in an increasingly technology-driven world.
“This scepticism is frequently fuelled by misinformation and a strong focus on immediate technical solutions. Many argue that HSS lacks direct applicability or career relevance compared to the more economically driven STEM disciplines. This view overlooks the vital contributions that HSS makes,” she told ThePrint.
“However, the enrichment provided by HSS is essential for cultivating informed citizens and leaders needed in our rapidly evolving and interconnected world,” she added.
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Humanities departments in IITs
The inclusion of humanities in IITs is not a recent development—it dates back to the very inception of these institutions.
For instance, IIT Kharagpur, according to its website, established its HSS department in 1951, and now offers diverse disciplines such as English, Economics, Psychology and more.
Similarly, IIT Kanpur founded its full-fledged HSS department in 1960, integrating humanities into the core B.Tech curriculum. IIT Roorkee followed in 1966, emphasising human values in technical education.
IIT Bombay (established in 1958) and IIT Madras (established in 1959) also introduced humanities and social sciences early in their development.
Initially, the HSS departments offered core and elective courses to engineering students to promote critical thinking, ethics, communication skills, and socio-political awareness.
Over time, IITs expanded their academic offerings to include full-fledged Master’s and PhD programmes in various social science disciplines. Notably, in 2006, IIT Madras launched a pioneering five-year integrated MA programme through its HSS department.
Many IITs now offer courses in Economics, English, Psychology, Sociology, Public Policy and Development Studies, among other subjects. However, enrollment in these programmes remains far lower than in traditional B.Tech courses.
For example, in 2024 at IIT Madras, only 23 students joined for MA in English Studies, 25 in Economics and 24 in Development Studies, while around 80 PhD scholars were enrolled. In comparison, over 1,000 students secured B.Tech seats that year, according to data available on the institute’s website and JEE board report.
Professor Jha of IIT Roorkee said that HSS departments in IITs have been enriching engineering education by integrating liberal arts into the technical curriculum.
“This approach develops critical thinking, communication skills and an understanding of social, ethical, economic and cultural contexts. Through the required liberal arts courses, electives and specialised undergraduate HSS programmes, students receive a comprehensive education that highlights the social impact of technology and shapes well-rounded, socially responsible engineers,” she told ThePrint.
Plus, technical institutes offering social sciences courses is a global trend. For instance, Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US offers degrees in history, anthropology, linguistics, media arts and philosophy; postgraduate degrees in political science; and even doctoral programmes beyond the Master’s level.
The IIT Delhi professor mentioned earlier said that leading global engineering institutes allocate significantly more credits to humanities and social sciences.
“In contrast, IITs have the lowest number of credits dedicated to non-engineering subjects worldwide. If we truly want to meet global standards, we need to increase these credits. There is growing recognition globally that a strong foundation in liberal arts and critical thinking is essential to any education, regardless of one’s primary area of research or interest,” the professor said.
Over time, various policies and committees have also advocated for the integration of humanities and social sciences into the curricula of technical institutions.
In 2009, the Yashpal Committee—tasked with reforming higher education in India—recommended that premier institutions like the IITs evolve into full-fledged universities by integrating disciplines such as the humanities.
Later, the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 also called for holistic and multidisciplinary education, stating that even engineering institutions like the IITs will move towards a more well-rounded approach by incorporating more arts and humanities programmes into their curricula.
V. Ramgopal Rao, group Vice Chancellor BITS Pilani and former director of IIT Delhi, however, said that the humanities in technical institutions cannot be seen in the same way as they are in stand-alone universities like JNU.
“The purpose is very different. In IITs and BITS, the role of humanities is to help create better engineers and scientists, not to produce historians or sociologists. Our graduates are expected to design systems and technologies that impact millions of people, and this requires an understanding of ethics, culture, society and behaviour,” he told ThePrint.
Adding, “IITs and BITS need a model of humanities that gels with technology and innovation. Areas like AI and society, technology policy and digital humanities are natural meeting points. In this context, humanities are not optional but essential in technical institutions.”
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Research initiatives in humanities at IITs
The IITs have increasingly been leveraging their HSS departments to conduct research that addresses real-world issues. Even in these tech-driven institutions, such research is gaining recognition for its social relevance and impact.
For instance, IIT Bombay’s humanities department hosts around seven research labs. The Cognitive and Behavioural Neuroscience (CBN) Lab studies areas like emotion, memory, motivation and child development, aiming to apply research insights to real-world issues such as education and mental health.
At IIT Madras, the humanities department is publishing research on socially relevant issues. Recent topics include ‘Impact of Temperature Shocks on Household Water Poverty in India’, ‘Railway Technology: Do Engineers Have Moral Responsibilities for Passenger Safety? A Case Study of India’, and ‘Climate-Change-Induced Risk Mapping of the Indian Himalayan Districts Using the Latest IPCC Framework’, among others.
Similarly, the HSS department at IIT Kanpur is engaged in research across five key disciplines: English, Fine Arts, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology.
At IIT Jammu, the HSS department is working on projects across a range of topics, including the integration of teaching and digital education, performance of the MSME sector in Jammu & Kashmir, and social audit of the central government’s PM-Poshan scheme, among others.
Professor Suman Chakraborty, director of IIT Kharagpur, highlighted that the strength of humanities and social sciences at the IITs lies not in isolated departments but in interdisciplinary collaboration.
“It’s not about any one department. Many impactful research projects emerge from people across different specialisations working together. At IIT Kharagpur, socially relevant research is a core focus, regardless of formal departmental boundaries.”
He explained that much of the research integrates cutting-edge technology with social impact, particularly in areas like affordable healthcare and women’s empowerment.
“My own work in healthcare technology addresses not just innovation but also socio-economic factors affecting underserved populations. These research outcomes are indexed across both engineering and social science journals,” he told ThePrint.
According to Chakraborty, the IITs may not be traditionally known for humanities like some other universities, but in terms of citation impact and socially relevant research, IIT Kharagpur ranked first in the country. “This shows the strength of our interdisciplinary approach,” he said.
The way forward
Chakraborty stressed that humanities and social sciences must align with the practical demands of technology and societal advancement. “When humanities engage constructively with technology and social issues, they become indispensable. But if they foster negativity or anti-institutional attitudes, then they do not belong in IIT education.”
Adding to this perspective, Professor Rao highlighted the necessity of stronger collaboration between the humanities and engineering departments. “Humanities should offer insights into social challenges—like the effects of infrastructure projects on communities—that would help engineers design solutions focused on people’s needs. Without such interdisciplinary teamwork, the humanities risk remaining isolated and less impactful.”
Amitash Ojha, head of the HSS department at IIT Jammu, emphasised that the real debate was whether HSS courses should be taught purely for their own sake or tailored to the specific needs of engineering students. He told ThePrint, “In my view, HSS should focus on areas most relevant to engineers. After all, our students are training to become engineers, and our role is to help them become more humanistic in their approach.
“Looking ahead, skills such as critical thinking, decision-making, ethics and creativity will be in high demand—and HSS will play a crucial role in developing these competencies.”
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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