The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay is facing criticism over a poster for an upcoming workshop on “South Asian Capitalism(s)," which has gone viral for depicting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath under the caption “We fool you." The two-day workshop, co-organised by UC Berkeley, IIT Bombay, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is scheduled for September 12–13, 2025 and is aimed at exploring how capitalist accumulation is socially structured across South Asia. The poster, titled "Pyramid of Capitalist India," is based on the century-old "Pyramid of Capitalist System" cartoon, first published in 1911 by the Industrial Worker newspaper.
The original illustration, inspired by earlier European and Russian caricatures, depicted a capitalist hierarchy: workers formed the base, supporting soldiers, clergy, and the wealthy, with a bag of money at the top. Its message was straightforward—the system relies on the labour of workers, and without them, it would collapse.
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In the 1911 version, the second tier, labeled “We Fool You,” depicted religious leaders from various faiths, emphasizing how religion was used to justify social inequality. In the IIT Bombay-related poster, these figures were replaced with India’s top elected leaders, prompting critics to argue that the image takes on a political dimension.
IIT Bombay faces online backlash over controversial poster
The poster was highlighted on X by user @MehHarshit, who commented: “IIT Bombay is hosting an event on South Asian Capitalism. The poster shows @AmitShah, @narendramodi, and @myogiadityanath with the caption ‘WE FOOL YOU.’ No Maulana or Father is depicted, only a Hindu monk in saffron robes. Why, @iitbombay? @dpradhanbjp."
One user commented, “How can a government sponsored institution talk against the government and be so biased against the majority religion. Have we not allowed freedom of speech to be misused as an abuse and hurt tool.” Another commented, “Painful to see this as an alum and a donor to the institute. Does faculty at @iitbombay @IndiaDST think that longest serving PM is fooling people, and Army is an oppressive force? Humanities departments are now adding net negative value to society."
IIT Bombay denies involvement
IIT Bombay clarified that it was not involved in creating the poster. The institute stated that it was unaware of the flyer and immediately instructed the organisers to remove it from social media and delete any references to IIT Bombay from event materials. Information about the workshop was also taken down from the New Political Economy Initiative website, which is linked to the event.
The statement added, “No one from IIT Bombay is participating in the conference. The Institute was not consulted regarding the flyer. We are deeply shocked and disturbed by its content.” IIT Bombay further announced that it will end its association with the faculty from UC Berkeley and the University of Massachusetts Amherst involved in the workshop and conduct a thorough investigation.
