The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has come under fire after a poster promoting an upcoming workshop on “South Asian Capitalism(s)” went viral on social media. The poster, which carried the caption “We fool you,” depicted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, sparking outrage and allegations of political bias.
The two-day workshop, jointly organised by UC Berkeley, IIT Bombay, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is scheduled for September 12–13. It aims to study how capitalist systems take shape in South Asia. The controversial poster, titled “Pyramid of Capitalist India,” was based on a 1911 cartoon called the Pyramid of Capitalist System, which illustrated how capitalism rests on the labour of workers. In the original version, the tier labelled “We Fool You” showed religious leaders of different faiths. In the new poster, those figures were replaced with India’s top political leaders.
The change quickly triggered criticism online. One user on X wrote: “IIT Bombay sponsors an event on South Asian Capitalism. Poster shows @AmitShah, @narendramodi, and @myogiadityanath with a caption ‘WE FOOL YOU’. No Maulana or Father shown; only a Hindu Monk in saffron robes. Why @iitbombay? @dpradhanbjp.” Another said, “Painful to see this as an alum and a donor. Does faculty at IIT Bombay think the longest serving PM is fooling people, and the Army is an oppressive force? Humanities departments are now adding net negative value to society.”
Responding to the backlash, IIT Bombay distanced itself from the poster. The institute said it had no role in designing it and was not even consulted about the flyer. “No one from IIT Bombay is attending the conference. The Institute was not consulted about the flyer. We are deeply shocked and upset by its content,” the institute said in a statement.
IIT Bombay also confirmed that it immediately asked organisers to remove the poster from social media and take the institute’s name off all materials. Details of the workshop were later removed from the New Political Economy Initiative website, which had hosted information about the event. The institute further announced it would end association with the UC Berkeley and University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty members linked to the incident and launch a full investigation.
