IIT-K students stand with washermen as institute moves to mechanise washing

Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur rallied around the campus’s dhobis and held protests on Wednesday following the demolition of the washermen’s living quarters and the Dhobi ghat. The action comes nearly four months after the 32 families of washermen were handed eviction notices.

The students claimed that the institute is in the process of replacing the manual washing of clothes with a mechanized central laundromat of industrial scale as part of its modernization efforts. They fear that this change will force the washermen out of work and privatize the facility.

Demanding reinstatement of the families, nearly 50 students protested at the demolition site, according to people familiar with the matter.

The Council of Students for Hostel Affairs (CSoHA) issued a communiqué stating that the action went against the principles IIT Kanpur has long upheld, particularly its humanitarian obligations.

“The students, as major stakeholders in this service, were not consulted, and the demolition happened when the institute was supposed to be working towards an amicable solution, as was communicated on Wednesday,” the students stated.

For its part, IIT Kanpur issued a statement, saying it had safely executed the eviction of occupants from several dilapidated and abandoned buildings on the campus. These buildings, constructed in the 1960s, were found to be in a severely deteriorated condition and were declared unsafe for habitation by experts, added the statement issued on the institute’s official group as well as from its own official handle.

The institute also stated that it was offering housing arrangements for the families outside the campus and plans to create a modern laundromat to replace the manual washing system. The laundromat would provide washing, ironing, and other facilities for the campus community, ensuring no impact on the washermen’s livelihood. Additionally, the modernization of facilities would lead to significant water savings, the statement said.

On the other hand, the student journalism portal on Wednesday ran a detailed story about the issue, with emails sent out to alumni worldwide, WhatsApp messages circulating to build support, live updates posted on the portal, and protest meetings held.

In 1960, the institute allotted living quarters and washing areas to 17 washermen and their families whose number expanded to 32 over the years. They have washed linen for students and also provided laundry services to staff over the years.

The plan to evict them began in 2010 when the first eviction notice was served, but resistance from the families halted the plan.

On November 27 last year, the institute sent notices again, prompting the students to launch a signature campaign in support of the dhobis. The eviction plan was deferred until December 18 and then again until January 3 this year.

According to students, on January 3, the administration declared the washermen to be “illegal” and asked them to furnish their documents before a committee by January 20. The families presented their allotment letters, electricity bills, and water tax bills as proof. However, two contradictory orders were issued.—An English order stated that the occupants had not shown any documents, while the Hindi order acknowledged that they had. Ultimately, the decision was based on the English order.

Additionally, the IIT Kanpur claimed that the living quarters were deemed unsafe based on two surveys: one by the institute and another by the civil engineering department of Harcourt Butler Technology University, Kanpur. However, students approached nine professors said to have been involved in the survey. Six of them stated that they had never conducted a structural survey, and three did not respond at all, according to the students.

In the meantime, student representatives met the institute’s director, but their demand was reportedly rejected. Alumni then joined the call, urging the administration to settle the issue amicably. The institute agreed to mediate but allegedly refrained from engaging in talks.

“Our point is that if you displace someone, you need to provide an alternative. In this case, verbal promises have been made, but nothing has been given in writing,” said the students, adding, “We also demand that the reports from the two surveys be made public for clarity.”

Meanwhile, the IIT-K statement said the eviction process was carried out with the assistance of the police, ensuring full adherence to legal and procedural guidelines, with minimal disruption to the campus community and student life.