As thousands of students throng the IIT Bombay campus this week for ‘Mood Indigo’, the institute’s annual three-day cultural festival, many are unaware that a quiet security operation is unfolding around them.

Blending into the festive crowds are eight women police officers from Powai police station, dressed in civilian clothes and carrying only their Mumbai Police identity cards. The team includes two police sub-inspectors and six constables, all in their late 20s, deployed to keep a discreet watch on the campus while remaining approachable to students, especially women visiting Mumbai for the first time. The three-day festival is held on December 16, 17 and 18 at IIT-Bombay’s campus.