From ‘Evil Spirits’ To Caste-Hierarchy Poster: IIT Mandi Repeated Brush With Controversies

A Janmashtami poster saying Shudras should “serve higher classes” has placed IIT Mandi at the centre of another controversy over religion, caste and academic culture. The institute has condemned caste discrimination, launched a fact-finding inquiry and decided to refer the matter to the police.

Titled “Bhagavad Gita—The Timeless Wisdom”, the poster assigned roles to four social groups, describing Brahmanas as spreading God’s message, Kshatriyas as protecting society and spirituality, Vaishyas as driving the economy and Shudras as serving “higher classes”.

The incident follows earlier controversies involving a Mahabharata-inspired student performance, statements by IIT Mandi Director Laxmidhar Behera and an institute conference featuring discussions on reincarnation and afterlife communication.

2012: Mahabharata Skit Draws Criticism

The earliest reported episode occurred in 2012, when students staged a short play based on the “Draupadi Cheerharan” episode from the Mahabharata at a freshers’ party.

According to a report by The Tribune, the students were accused of mocking religious characters in the performance. The skit triggered public criticism, following which the students reportedly submitted a written apology.

The episode concerned objections to the representation of religious figures in a student performance. No action against the institute’s administration was reported.

2022: Behera’s Remarks about ‘Evil Spirits’

Another controversy emerged shortly after Laxmidhar Behera was appointed IIT Mandi director in January 2022.

A video showed Behera recounting an incident that he said had occurred in Chennai in 1993. He claimed that he and two friends had chanted religious mantras to help a friend whose family was affected by “evil spirits”.

Behera said he had begun “practising the thoughts and wisdom in the Bhagavad Gita” and wanted to “demonstrate the potency of the holy name”. He claimed the chanting continued for approximately 45 minutes to an hour.

When The Indian Express asked him about the video, Behera stood by his account. “I narrated what I said. Ghosts exist, yes,” he said, adding that modern science could not explain every occurrence.

Behera’s official IIT Mandi profile identifies his academic interests as intelligent systems, robotics, artificial intelligence, consciousness studies and mental healthcare. It also says he has taught what the institute describes as the “universal principles of peace through Bhagavad Gita” for 27 years.

2023: Director Links Animal Slaughter To Natural Disasters

In September 2023, a video of Behera addressing students sparked another controversy. He asked them to stop eating meat and linked animal slaughter to landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh.

“Himachal Pradesh will have a significant downfall...if we do not stop butchering animals,” he said. Behera claimed that cruelty towards animals had a “symbiotic relationship” with environmental degradation.

Referring to disasters in the state, he added: “These are all effects of cruelty on animals...people eat meat.”

Behera then asked the students to take a pledge against consuming meat. “To become good human beings, what you have to do? No to meat eating,” he said.

The remarks drew criticism from scientists, politicians and social-media users. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) demanded his resignation and an apology. Contemporary reports said Behera and IIT Mandi did not respond to requests for comment on the controversy.

June 2026: Scientists Question Consciousness Conference

IIT Mandi came under scrutiny again after its Indian Knowledge System and Mental Health Applications Centre organised the Mind, Brain and Consciousness Conference from June 3 to 6, 2026.

The institute described the event as an interdisciplinary conference integrating Indian Knowledge Systems with the study of mind, brain and consciousness. Its programme included neuroscience, psychology, yoga, Ayurveda, the Bhagavad Gita and astrology.

One special session was titled “Reincarnation, OBEs and afterlife communication”. IIT Mandi’s official conference page named Behera and IIT Kanpur faculty member Kunal Mooley as its organisers.

A group of scientists, researchers and educators subsequently issued an open letter titled “Reject Pseudo-science of Reincarnation and Astrology”. They alleged that some conference sessions gave institutional legitimacy to claims unsupported by established scientific evidence.

“The scientific community is near unanimous that there is no proven case till date of any out-of-body experience, afterlife communication or reincarnation,” the letter said. Its signatories urged the Union Education Ministry to remove Behera as director and asked the Anusandhan National Research Foundation to stop financing what they described as “pseudo-scientific ventures”.

The event also faced criticism following reports that attendance had been made compulsory for certain students and faculty members.

IIT Mandi denied the allegation. Registrar Kumar Sambhav Pandey later said the conference had been “wrongly interpreted in the media by a section of people”.

“The conference was centred on ‘Mind, Brain and Consciousness’ and saw participation from people from across the world,” Pandey said.

September 2026: Poster Describes Shudras As Serving ‘Higher Classes’

The latest controversy began after a poster titled “Bhagavad Gita—The Timeless Wisdom” appeared outside IIT Mandi’s auditorium during Janmashtami celebrations on September 4.

The poster divided society into Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras. It described the roles of Brahmanas as spreading God’s message, Kshatriyas as protecting society and spirituality, and Vaishyas as driving the economy and supporting others. Against Shudras, it carried the words “serve higher classes”.

Photographs and videos of the poster circulated online, prompting allegations of caste discrimination.

Behera said the celebration was organised by students and the institute had neither approved nor endorsed the poster. In an email to the IIT Mandi community, he expressed an “outright condemnation of recent poster display within campus”.

“The institute strongly condemns any form of caste-based discrimination,” he told PTI. He also said IIT Mandi remained committed to equality, social justice and scientific temper.

Behera said he was away from the campus when the poster appeared. “I have not seen the poster. I don’t want to take a side here and let the panel decide,” he told PTI.

IIT Mandi formed a nine-member fact-finding committee headed by a faculty member and including six representatives from its Reservation Cell. The committee confiscated the poster and began investigating who prepared and displayed it.

Registrar Pandey subsequently told The Indian Express: “We have decided to forward the matter to the police.” He clarified that the referral would follow the completion of the fact-finding exercise.