Denied seat, student hacks IIT-Kanpur website to show his ‘merit’

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KANPUR: A candidate who was denied admission to BTech in cyber security at IIT Kanpur claimed to have hacked the institute’s website seeking a “fair chance”, which he managed to get.”The site is hacked, and all I need is a fair chance,” the candidate said in a message posted on a social media platform. He clarified that his intention was not to harm IIT Kanpur or its website, but to demonstrate his capability and merit for admission to the programme.”I was not given an opportunity to participate in the hackathon that was a part of the selection process. I paid the admission fee, uploaded all the required documents and submitted evidence of my work in the field of cyber security, yet I was not selected,” the candidate said.IIT Kanpur director Prof Manindra Agrawal did not approach police to lodge a case against the candidate and instead invited him to campus for an assessment.”If the candidate has demonstrated genuine talent, the institute will give him an opportunity to prove his abilities and consider him for admission to the programme,” he said, adding that while the candidate was being given a second chance, he stressed that this was not the right approach.

He also rebutted the candidate’s claim that he was denied a chance for admission. He said all candidates seeking admission to BTech cyber security programme were given an opportunity to participate in a hackathon, but the candidate concerned could not provide sufficient evidence of his hacking abilities during selection process.