NEW DELHI: The soon-to-be-opened Delhi Metro station opposite the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) has a sponsor and it’s proving to be something of a headache for the premier engineering school. FIITJEE , a leading coaching institute , has acquired the naming rights and its branding is emblazoned all over the station’s entrances.But the generous signage that couples the two names has led to IIT Delhi being inundated with queries and complaints from aspiring candidates, parents and alumni, some of them seeking to know if FIITJEE was the ‘official’ coaching school partner for those seeking to gain entrance.“The metro station across our institute has been given to a coaching centre but this branding is misleading people to think that IIT Delhi has partnered with the coaching centre,” said IIT Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao . “This is tarnishing the image of the IIT and we are going to formally take it up with Delhi Metro Rail Corp. ( DMRC ) as it is sending a wrong message.”Delhi Metro has been selling naming rights to its stations for several years now and the coaching school feels it has acquired a property ideally suited to its purposes. “We have tied up with DMRC for branding at the gates of this station. All due diligence was taken adhering to transparency,” saidFIITJEE director RL Trikha. “We are at the right place and right time. This branding is sure to help us in the long run.”Following the response to its branding exercise, FIITJEE is examining the prospect of buying naming rights at similar locations. IIT Delhi doesn’t want its name linked to FIITJEE in a manner that could mislead candidates. “If it is about generating revenue through ads, then all coaching institutes should get equal opportunity,” Rao said. “As an IIT, we do not endorse any coaching institute.” DMRC hadn’t responded to queries at press time.Alumnus and Yepme.com cofounder Sandeep Sharma is among those who aren’t too pleased by the development. “I agree with the stance taken by IIT Delhi as FIITJEE will get indirect benefits of strategic location of metro station,” he said. Yepme is an online fashion retailer.Alumni emails have echoed this sentiment: “JEE aspirants are being misguided that FIITJEE is the 'official' coaching partner for IIT Joint Entrance Exam (JEE),” said one who didn’t want to be identified. “This is validated by the fact that I got a call from a JEE aspirant, who just completed his 10th standard and is evaluating coaching institutes in Delhi and was misguided by the advertisement.”