IIT BHU forms panel to conduct urine-based drug tests for newly-admitted students

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Varanasi has constituted a committee for coordinating and conducting urine-based drug test screening of newly admitted students. The institute has formed a nine-member committee to oversee the urine-based drug testing procedure.

The decision comes after receiving guidelines from the ministry of education (MoE) to conduct drug tests for students, an official notice issued by IIT BHU’s deputy registrar, general administration, said.

The nine-member panel comprises faculty members and medical professionals from IIT BHU.

IIT BHU: Nine-member panel

The committee is headed by the dean of student affairs at IIT BHU. The list of members is shown in the table below.

However, as per media reports and guidelines issued by the MoE, students will be required to provide consent before undergoing urine-based drug tests. IIT BHU has not specified the detailed procedure or schedule for obtaining consent or conducting the test.

Moreover, protocols or procedures are awaited in case a student tests positive for substance use.

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IIT BHU Admissions

Founded in 1919 as the Banaras Engineering College, it became the Institute of Technology, Banaras Hindu University in 1968. IIT BHU was designated an Indian Institute of Technology in 2012.

IIT BHU Varanasi has 14 departments and three interdisciplinary schools. IIT BHU offers four-year instructional programmes for the degree of Bachelor of Technology (BTech) and five-year programmes for Integrated Dual Degree (IDD).

The IDD programmes offer combined BTech and MTech degrees. Admission to all courses is done through the Joint Entrance Examination (JEE) conducted by the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The postgraduate courses offer MTech and PhD degrees, and admission to MTech is made through the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE).