Shrinate targets Modi on IIT-Delhi convocation, Telegraph report deletion

Congress leader Supriya Shrinate has criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi over reported protocol instructions at an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) convocation, questioning why The Telegraph withdrew a report that said students had been instructed on how low to bow while receiving medals from him.

In a post on X, Shrinate said, "So, IIT students were told how much they should bow their heads before Modi. But why did @ttindia have to delete this report?"

She also criticised what she described as an attempt to make young people bow before political leaders.

"Prime Minister Modi, this country will progress when students stand firm, with their chests held high — not when they bow or kneel," she said, adding, "Shame on you for making the youth bow."

The Telegraph India report had said students at IIT Delhi faced extensive security arrangements ahead of Modi's visit and claimed that medal recipients were given instructions on how low to bow while receiving their medals.

The report was subsequently withdrawn from the publication's website, prompting Shrinate to question the reason for its removal.

The reported protocol has also generated discussion over whether such instructions were specific to Modi or formed part of the institute's standard convocation procedures.

The controversy comes amid heightened political debate over the treatment of students and young people, with the Opposition accusing the government of being insensitive to concerns raised by students over examinations, paper leaks and education.

Shrinate's remarks were made in the context of the broader political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP over the government's handling of student protests and the Opposition's demands for accountability over police action against demonstrators.