‘How low should you bow?’ is not usually the kind of instruction students expect to receive before collecting their degrees.

However, at IIT Delhi, that has become part of the protocol ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appearance at the institute’s convocation on Saturday, says a report by The Telegraph.

Students who are set to receive their degrees have reportedly been instructed on how far they should lower their heads while accepting medals from Modi, who is the chief guest at the ceremony.

They have also been told to stand during the Vedic chants that will be performed during the event.

The elaborate protocol comes amid a sweeping security clampdown across the campus, with students describing the restrictions and repeated checks as intrusive and disruptive.

Police and paramilitary personnel in khaki and camouflage have been deployed across the institute. Metal detectors have been installed in buildings, while barricades have come up along campus roads.

Students have also complained of frequent identity checks and detailed searches of their belongings, even when they have not left the campus.

‘Whenever we leave or return to the hostel, our bags are minutely searched by campus security staff even though we haven’t stepped out of the campus,’ a student said.

Two master’s students and a PhD scholar said the heightened security had turned routine movement into an ordeal.

One student recalled an incident in which two students returning to the campus at night were stopped and asked to produce their IDs.

Although they had soft copies of their identification, security personnel allegedly questioned them about why they had gone out, why they were returning late, and what they had been doing outside.

Students and their families are also facing restrictions at the convocation venue. Bags and water bottles will not be permitted, including for parents visiting the campus.

Organisers have not provided clear answers, according to students, on where parents are expected to wait during the Prime Minister’s part of the programme.

Parents will also not be allowed to carry umbrellas or water bottles into the restricted areas, a student said, questioning the practicality of the arrangements.

The institute has issued a series of circulars outlining restrictions on campus facilities and vehicle movement on Saturday.

According to a security circular issued on Thursday following directions from Delhi Police and other security agencies, shops including Mother Dairy and Safal outlets, along with Neelkanth Market near Gate No. 2, will remain shut until 4pm.

The MSB Computer Centre, Central Library and laboratories will remain closed from 6 pm on Friday until the convocation concludes.

Entry into Dogra Hall, where the ceremony will be held, and the Main Building will not be permitted with mobile phones, bags, remote devices or other restricted articles.

Cloakrooms have been arranged near the LHC area, IRD Gate and the Library side. The security measures have also changed the traditional structure of the convocation.

More than 3,000 students are scheduled to receive their degrees, but the majority will now get them during the second half of the programme, after Modi has left the campus.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to arrive at 11 am and address the gathering from 11.35 am. The second half of the ceremony is due to begin at 12.30 pm.

PM Modi will personally present gold medals to nine students. Vedic chants will be recited three times during the ceremony, including once in his presence.

One graduating student criticised the way the event has been organised around the Prime Minister. ‘The convocation dress rehearsal was a joke. They’ve designed the whole event around the Prime Minister,’ she said.

She added that some parents had already booked return tickets based on the usual schedule, under which degrees are distributed during the first half. With the order now changed, some families may miss seeing their children receive their degrees.

Students have also questioned whether the security arrangements are connected to the political atmosphere surrounding Modi’s first direct interaction with Gen Z since the Jantar Mantar protests.

A faculty member said the Prime Minister’s participation could offer the government an opportunity to engage with young people following the protests, but suggested that the authorities were taking extensive precautions to prevent slogans or disruptions.

‘They confirmed his acceptance on the day the Prime Minister posted his first Instagram video addressed to Gen Z,’ the faculty member said, adding that this would be Modi’s first direct interaction with the demographic since the protests.

Another student alleged that the event was being used as a publicity exercise to improve the Centre’s image following student protests across the country and to introduce the new education minister.

Modi had attended IIT Delhi’s convocation virtually in 2020. According to sources, the Prime Minister’s Office had kept the institute’s invitation pending for more than a month before confirming his participation when the CJP protest was at its peak.

The institute has not yet responded to the concerns raised by students. An email seeking IIT Delhi director Rangan Banerjee’s response on the heightened security arrangements was sent on Friday evening, but his reply was awaited.

For the students preparing to mark one of the biggest milestones of their academic lives, however, the ceremony now comes with an unusually long list of rules, searches and restrictions, right down to how low they should bow before receiving their medals.