Kanpur: In a surprising turn of events, a student who was denied admission to the BTech in Cyber Security programme at IIT Kanpur allegedly hacked the institute’s website and later posted a message on social media saying, “The site is hacked, and all I need is a fair chance.“The student claimed that his intention was not to harm IIT Kanpur but to demonstrate his capability and merit for admission to the programme.He alleged that he was not given an opportunity to participate in the hackathon that formed part of the selection process. He further claimed that he had paid the admission fee, uploaded all the required documents and submitted evidence of his cyber security work, yet was not selected.IIT Kanpur director Prof. Manindra Agrawal, however, did not approach the police to lodge a case against the student. Instead, he invited the student to the campus for an assessment. He said that if the student demonstrated genuine talent, the institute would give him an opportunity to prove himself and consider him for admission to the programme.Agrawal said that all candidates seeking admission to the BTech in Cyber Security programme were given an opportunity to participate in a hackathon, where they were required to present their practical experience and skills. He said the student had failed to provide sufficient evidence to enable an assessment of his hacking abilities during the selection process.He added that if the student’s claims were found to be genuine, he would be invited to the institute for testing and, if found meritorious, would be granted admission. However, Agrawal remarked, “We also want to convey to other students that such actions are not the right approach.”The student also said that he had been coding since the age of 13 and chose to pursue cyber security instead of taking the conventional engineering entrance examination route.
