Hundreds of students from private engineering colleges protested in front of IIT-Madras Research Park here after learning that a private company had cheated them of their internship.
Each of these students had paid Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 6,000 to participate in a 15-day programme advertised online by a company called Techizer India. The courses offered included subjects such as robotics, Android applications, cyber forensics and ethical hacking, and were to be taught by IIT-Kharagpur alumni, students said.
Since May, the company had been in touch with the students by mail, offering them course details and hostel accommodation. The students, who were to come in two batches, were advised to find hostels close to the venue, the research park. The first batch began on Monday, with the second to be held from June 24.
Uma Ghosh*, student of a city-based engineering college, was distraught that she had stayed back to do the internship instead of going home to Guwahati. “I would have gone home if I had known this was not working. Now I have lost my opportunity to do an internship,” she said. Her classmate, Anees*, said, “Will we get a certificate at the end of the course? It is important as our college awards credits for internship.”
Sayali Patil and nine of her classmates from a Pune college had each paid Rs. 6,000. One of them, “I fought with my parents to attend this programme because it was conducted by IIT-Madras,” she said. Her classmate, Jayesh Patil*, said, “Yesterday, when I came at 5 p.m. for my session, there was commotion. We thought things would sort out but it has become worse now.”
The students said they had believed the online advertisement which stated that IIT-Kharagpur alumni would conduct the courses. The students said they had discussed among themselves before applying but most of them said they had not sought their teachers’ advice.
On Tuesday, at the venue, the police were seen handing out photocopies of petition that the students signed and returned to the police. Students, who had come in groups from Coimbatore and Madurai to participate in the programme, could be seen asking the police if their money would be refunded.
IIT-Madras officials said the research park was an independent body with a separate director, and had nothing to do with the institute.
Three arrested
A release from the Central Crime Branch police states that three persons — Amarendra Kumar (23), S. Vishal (31) of Chennai and A. Salman Raza (29) of Uttar Pradesh — were arrested in connection with cheating the students to the tune of Rs. 35 lakh. While Amarendra Kumar and Salman had a B.Tech degree from IIT-Kharagpur, Vishal has an MBA degree. The three men have been remanded in judicial custody.
(*Names of students changed to protect identity)