The IIT BHU drug testing initiative has moved forward with the institute constituting a nine-member committee to oversee urine-based drug tests for newly admitted students across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctoral programmes.
The move follows a directive from the Union Ministry of Education asking higher educational institutions, including IITs and IIMs, to implement drug-testing measures.
According to an official notification issued by the institute’s Deputy Registrar (Administration), the committee includes faculty members and medical professionals from IIT (BHU) and Banaras Hindu University. The proposed testing will cover students entering BTech, MTech, Integrated Dual Degree (IDD) and PhD programmes.
Who Will Oversee the Testing Process?
The committee will be chaired by Professor Rajesh Kumar, Dean of Student Welfare at IIT (BHU).
The other members are Professor Devendra Singh, Professor Medha Jha, Professor Abhishek Kumar Srivastava, Dr Ajit Kumar Mishra, Professor Kiran Giri from the Department of Pharmacology at IMS, BHU, Dr Deepa Rani from the Department of Pathology, Professor Kamlesh Palundurkar, Head of the Department of Biochemistry at BHU, and Tushar Kumar.
The panel will coordinate the implementation of urine-based testing in accordance with the ministry’s directions. The institute has not yet specified the complete operational framework.
Will Students Need to Give Consent?
Consent remains an important consideration in the proposed testing process. According to reports on the ministry’s guidelines, students will be required to provide consent before undergoing urine-based drug tests.
However, the institute’s notification does not detail how consent will be obtained, when the tests will take place or what procedures will apply if a student tests positive for substance use.
The handling of test results and any potential follow-up measures also remain unclear. Further details from the institute are awaited.
How Many Students Could Be Covered?
According to figures cited in reports, IIT (BHU) admits around 1,500 students to BTech and Integrated Dual Degree programmes, approximately 400 to MTech and MPharm programmes, and around 300 PhD scholars.
The proposed initiative covers newly admitted students in the specified programmes. However, the institute has not confirmed the exact number of students who will undergo testing or provided an implementation timeline.
The formation of the committee marks an initial step towards implementing the ministry’s directions. The practical rollout will depend on the institute’s testing protocols, consent arrangements and procedures for managing results.
Relevant Link: Official IIT (BHU) Varanasi website
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