IIM Amritsar students sleep in college mess to protest for AC in dorms. Video goes viral

The protest comes amid an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring to around 45 degrees Celsius in Amritsar. (Image: @kadaipaneeeer/X)

Students at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Amritsar have staged an innovative protest to demand better cooling facilities in their dormitories. Frustrated by the extreme heat and lack of air conditioning, the students took to camping out in the air-conditioned college canteen and library. Their demonstration quickly went viral on social media highlighting their dissatisfaction with the current accommodations.

The protest location was deliberately chosen, as the hostel mess is one of the few air-conditioned spaces available to the students, highlighting the stark contrast between the cooling provided in communal areas and the sweltering conditions in their rooms. The protest comes amid an intense heatwave, with temperatures soaring to around 45 degrees Celsius in Amritsar.

The now-viral video of the protest showed students sleeping on the chairs of the canteen with one of them even lying down on the table. The purpose of the protest was to raise awareness about the need for adequate cooling facilities in the dorms, especially in light of the ongoing heatwave.

IIM Amritsar students protested against the management to get AC installed in their hostel by sleeping in the library that has AC. One of them said, "Modern problem requires modern solution” pic.twitter.com/d8D6rl9G9Q

— Shubh (@kadaipaneeeer) June 14, 2024

The protest sparked a broader discussion on the quality of student accommodations and the need for adequate infrastructure to ensure comfortable living conditions.

Commenting on the situation, a former IIM Amritsar student mentioned that they had faced a similar issue during their time at the institute and had raised concerns about it in the past. "It is the mess area. Having just passed out from IIM Amritsar, I can say that the heat is unbearable at times. This demand was put forward last year too but not much was achieved. Temperature is around 45 but feels like 50. Plus one of the temporary hostels are such that you will feel better outside," Aditya Vikram wrote.

"Gotta love the ingenuity of IIM Amritsar students! Sometimes, you have to think outside the box. Hope the management gets the message!" one user wrote.

See some other reactions here:

>>>>> sloganeering and damaging property

— Pulkit Saraf (@Pulkit_Saraf) June 15, 2024

Rather than protesting outdoors, they did it in AC library. This is why they become entrepreneurs and Millionaires.

— Dinesh Thirukkonda (@DThirukkonda) June 14, 2024

For this much money I need AC even in washrooms pic.twitter.com/BiwEuu6IWo

— Soura (@Soura242) June 14, 2024

In response to the growing outcry, IIM Amritsar Director Dr Nagarajan Ramamoorthy addressed the issue in an interview with the Indian Express. He explained that the current hostel building is leased, as the institute's permanent hostel is still under construction. “The power supply lines in the current hostel building do not support heavy power loads required for air conditioning units,” he noted. However, he assured students that, “We will install air coolers in the next couple of days in the hostel rooms to combat the heat.”

Established by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in 2015, IIM Amritsar is one of the youngest IIMs in India