Education Politics

What Triggered the Name Change Row of IIT Bombay to IIT Mumbai?

Why is there a row over the name of IIT Bombay? How the controversy over the name IIT Bombay started? Will the name of IIT Bombay be changed to IIT Mumbai? 

Here’s an explanation of the whole controversy in brief, before we delve into if the name of IIT-Bombay will change in near future?

It all started after Union Minister of State for Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh, said that he is thankful to God that the name of IIT Bombay has not been changed to Mumbai. He made this remark while addressing a function at IIT Bombay. 

Soon after this, a political war of words started as MNS leaders started asking BJP to apologise. 

MNS chief Raj Thackeray said that the Union Minister’s remarks on not changing IIT Bombay’s name to IIT Mumbai amounted to Maharashtra’s insult. Raj Thackeray went on to claim that the Centre’s agenda is to slowly take over Mumbai, then the MMR area, and then connect it to Gujarat. 

In fact, MNS leader Gajanan Kale targeted BJP by saying their leaders never leave any opportunity to insult Marathi, Mumbai and Maharashtra.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has said that he will write a letter to PM Modi and the Union Human Resource Development Minister, requesting the name change of IIT Bombay to IIT Mumbai.

Now, let us come to the crux of the story— will the name of IIT Bombay be changed? If yes, then what is the process? 

The name of IIT Bombay is specified in The Institutes of Technology Act, 1961. If any changes to the name have to be made, then it needs to be passed through an amendment in the Parliament, which is a complex legislative process. 

Bombay’s name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995 during the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition government’s tenure, but the name of IIT Bombay falls under Central government jurisdiction and thus, has not been altered. 

The similar legislative concept applies to the Bombay High Court, as it still remains “Bombay” and not Mumbai High Court. 

For people who would point out the name change of ‘University of Mumbai’ from ‘University of Bombay’, we need to know that the University of Mumbai is a state-owned university. While IIT Bombay is established by central Act of Parliament. There is a difference in their governing jurisdictions.

Another query would be if there could be an IIM Mumbai, then why not IIT Mumbai? 

The reason for this boils down to timing and specific legislative histories of both IIT Bombay and IIM Mumbai. IIT Bombay was established in 1958 when the city was officially “Bombay”, but IIM Mumbai was converted using the city’s modern, when Parliament passed an amendment to the IIM Act, 2017 in August 2023.

WHAT COULD BE THE POSSIBLE CONSEQUENCES IF IIT BOMBAY’S NAME IS CHANGED? 

A name change could directly hit the brand name of IIT Bombay: Let us not forget the fact that IIT Bombay is a globally recognized brand.  The administration, alumni, and students are often sentimentally attached to the legacy associated with the original name. If the name change happens, it could dilute IIT Bombay’s international recognition and create confusion regarding its credibility.

Other big issue would be the ‘administrative hurdles’: If the name of IIT Bombay is changed, it could invite significant logistical tasks like changing the name across all official documents, agreements with international institutions, email IDs, and other records. This would be a big administrative burden on the institution.

A name change would be a distraction from core purpose of the elite institute: For a non-political institute like IIT Bombay, pressing for a name change would distract the faculty and students from academic and research priorities. 

Another issue with name change would be a causing potential for confusion: The abbreviation used for IIT Bombay is “IITB”. If it were changed to “IIT Mumbai”, then the new abbreviation would be IITM. This might be confused with IIT Madras, which also retains its original name.

In short, the controversy over IIT Bombay’s name is driven more by political rhetoric than practical reality. While remarks by a Union Minister triggered a sharp political response in Maharashtra, the legal position is clear: changing IIT Bombay’s name requires an amendment to the Institutes of Technology Act, which is a complex process, where the Centre has shown no intention of initiating, although Maharashtra’s CM will appeal to the Centre for the name change of IIT Bombay.

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