'Caste discrimination continues to exist in IIT-Bombay' - Mid Day

'Caste discrimination continues to exist in IIT-Bombay'

By Pallavi Smart |Posted 21-Jan-2016

Even as campuses across the country are seized with outrage over the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula at Hyderabad University, the family of IIT-Bombay student Aniket Ambhore, who fell to his death from a hostel terrace, is still waiting for closure 15 months after his death.

Also read: IIT-Bombay student who fell from 6th floor was struggling with failing grades, say institute's officials

Aniket’s parents Sunita and Sanjay are frustrated by the apathy of authorities. Pics/Suresh KK

Aniket’s parents and friends told mid-day on Wednesday that the Dalit student was subjected to continuous taunts over his caste in the months leading up to his death. Aniket was found dead below the six-storey hostel building on September 4, 2014. Even today, neither the police nor the institute, which set up a probe into the incident, has told the family the reason behind Aniket’s death.

Aniket Ambhore fell to his death from a hostel terrace

The family told mid-day the slurs had heightened just before his death, with even a professor in his remedial class and the head of a department being among those who berated him as being dull because he was a Dalit. But the institute, they alleged, has till now not submitted a report by an enquiry committee that was set up to look into the circumstances of Aniket’s death.

Aniket’s parents at their Prabhadevi home

Ambhore’s mother Sunita told mid-day on Wednesday that she could understand what must have forced the 22-year-old Hyderabad boy to take the extreme step.

“Aniket did not leave any note for us,” Sunita told mid-day. “But when I read Rohith’s note I could understand what my son must have been feeling. Only after Aniket’s death did we find some lines scribbled in his books about how empty and lonely he was feeling.”

The Ambhores said Aniket grew up not being aware of caste discrimination and did not know how to handle it when he faced it on campus. He initially took it as a consequence of his poor grades. Ambhore’s father Sanjay said he had turned to spiritual books towards the end of his term at IIT, though the entire family was atheist.

“There was no pressure on him from us,” Sanjay, who works with a nationalised bank, told mid-day. “We were willing to withdraw his admission if it was getting too difficult for him. We even had this discussion with his department head after he failed in some subjects. But everybody said he would catch up. But before his death, he had told us how a professor had berated him in front of the entire class about how easy it was for Dalits to get to IITs through reserved category. He must have gotten very lonely due to the continuing taunts over his caste. The entire nation is talking about the Hyderabad incident, but Aniket’s case remains unresolved.”

Sunita said she had noticed how even close friends on campus often directed casteist remarks very casually at Aniket. Following his death, the family wrote to the HRD ministry and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes besides constantly following up with the institute. With no response, they managed to get their MP to raise the issue in the Rajya Sabha, following which the probe committee was set up.

Also read: Hyderabad varsity on the boil after research scholar ends life

“But even now, we do not know the conclusion of the committee’s inquiry,” said Sanjay, who had spoken to his son the day he died. “I was on my way to the Institute to pick him up as he was to come home that day. 

After knowing where have I reached, he told me that he is going to sleep now. So we did not call him again as he never liked to be disturbed when he was sleeping.”

Prejudice exists
Sanjay said IIT officials would call them over only when they called to ask about the status of the probe. The institute’s Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle later stepped in to help the Ambhores in their quest for closure.

“They never spoke to Aniket’s friends and other students from the improvement class to know the facts about the casteist remarks,” said Sanjay. “We had to request his friends to go to the authorities and give their statements.”

Even then, the college tried to spin it as a case of depression, the family alleged. Sanjay said they were aware that Aniket was disturbed and was undergoing psychological treatment in the months before the incident.

“He accepted there was a problem but was clear that he had to face it,” said Sunita. “This shows he was willing to come out of his disturbed state.

Members of the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle said even they had tired of trying to impress upon authorities about the casteist slurs on campus.

Rakhahari Saha from the group told mid-day, “Caste discrimination on IIT-B campus is not explicit. Remarks and taunts from professors as well as students coming from general categories do affect Dalit students. 

Their confidence level goes so low that having an open discussion with faculty members also becomes difficult. This happened in Aniket’s case also. Worst is that even faculty members have the same prejudices, so Dalit students do not come forward.”

Another member, who did not want to be named, said, “The authorities have completely ignored the caste slurs in Aniket’s case. They have turned it into a mental health issue. Whenever we talk to them, their response is always about how they are doing a lot to counsel students. At IIT-B, caste discrimination is an issue never spoken about as neither institute nor students want to talk about it. In fact, many students are trying to hide their caste, fearing the constant taunts. There is a general prejudice among students coming from open category. IIT-B as an institute also adds to this. The official opposition to quotas is well known.”

Students said unlike with their peers, the discrimination by professors is often subtle.

“A professor will randomly ask for your JEE rank to know your background,” said another student. “Then they will pass comments like how it is only students from reserved category who require remedial teaching, etc.”

IIT in denial
Dean of Student Affair at the institute, Prof Soumyo Mukherji, denied there was any casteist slur in Aniket’s, or any other, case. He said the committee was formed “to understand the mental health situation of students on campus and suggest preventive measures to avoid such unfortunate incidents in future.”

“There is no mention of caste remarks or taunts in the report,” said Mukherji. “But in an individual scenario, one would not know. The institute has a strict policy against any kind of discrimination. We have never seen such a compliant go unnoticed or unpunished. In Aniket’s case, it might have been a general comment on students who are lagging behind in studies and attending academic improvement classes. But it might have been perceived differently. This is one unfortunate incident but issue of mental health of students on campus is much larger.”

The Ambhores are unconvinced. The least the institute could do, they said, was to give them so-called report if it was indeed submitted. And help them find closure

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/caste-discrimination-continues-to-exist-in-iit-bombay/16881190#sthash.2kDUsKuN.dpuf

Dalit student's suicide: National Commission for SC alleges politics surrounding death - DNA

Dalit student's suicide: National Commission for SC alleges politics surrounding death

Tue, 19 Jan 2016-12:00am , Hyderabad , PTI

Noting that the names of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the university VC have been mentioned in the FIR in connection with the incident, P L Punia said there should be a fair investigation into it.

Alleging that "politics" had taken place in the alleged suicide of a Dalit student in the central university in Hyderabad, National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) chairman P L Punia on Monday said the Commission would take up the issue strongly.

Rohit Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar, was found hanging at the Central University's hostel room in the campus yesterday triggering protests from fellow students this morning. The deceased was among the five research scholars, who were suspended by the university in August last year and also one of the accused in the case of assault on a student leader.

Recalling the sequence of events in HCU with regard to the alleged suicide, Punia said, "When action was against them (students), Vice Chancellor took back the action also. A statement comes later. Politics happened in between."

"Dattatreyaji, Labour Minister, he is a senior leader. He writes a letter. That letter comes here. It starts moving in a circle. A total U-turn is taken. All this incident happened...," he said.

Speaking after visiting the university, he said he would seek a report from the police, administration and the university.

"The NCSC would take up the issue strongly," Punia said.

Noting that the names of Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya and the university VC have been mentioned in the FIR in connection with the incident, he said there should be a fair investigation into it.

Rohit's fellow students have demanded immediate removal of Dattatreya from the Union Cabinet alleging that he was instrumental in suspension of the students from the university.

Recalling an incident at IIT Madras earlier, Punia alleged that there is a pattern in the type of incidents that are happening, after the NDA government came to power, in which Dalit students are at the receiving end.

"There is a pattern. It happened in Madras IIT also. An anonymous complaint comes. It comes from Ministry of Human Resource Development and the IIT there de-recognises Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, there be will no activity. They take all action. Same type of pattern. This (HCU incident) is also a pattern. Why this pattern happens for Scheduled Caste students after this government came to power. They start with make-believe stories and find the Scheduled Caste people culprit," Punia said.

Popular

Dhoni defends his decision to expose youngsters in tough Aussie conditions

Digital India: 20-25% of server revenues to come from government sector, says Lenovo

Look who's the leading lady in Sushant Singh Rajput starrer MS Dhoni!

Maharshtra govt likely to tie up with Baba Ramdev to sell forest products

There is a cut in the budget for education, health, housing and sanitation which provide benefit to the SCs and Adivasis, he said. He said he would not like to comment on the investigation into the incident. Punia, however, said the Prevention of Atrocities Act provides for completion of investigation within 30 days.

IIT-M ban: protests spread to Mumbai - The Hindu

MUMBAI, June 2, 2015

RAHI GAIKWAD

IIT-M ban: protests spread to Mumbai

IIT Bombay forms Ambedkar-Periyar-Phule Study Circle

Protests against the decision of IIT Madras administration to ban the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle (APSC) spread to Mumbai on Monday with over a hundred students from different institutions staging a rally at the Dadar station here.

“We see nothing wrong with what APSC has done. It is not a new group. We condemn the decision to ban it. Even if you think they did something wrong, they should have been given a fair hearing. This is just one visible instance of the administration’s autocratic behaviour. 

This issue is not limited to IIT Madras alone. Across IITs, there are various problems, such as poor implementation of the reservation systems, absence of Dalit faculty and so on. What does it mean when they say IITs are not political? Everything is political. To be political is my right,” Kranthi Kumar, a Ph.D. scholar from IIT Bombay told The Hindu.

In response to the ban, students from IIT Bombay have formed an Ambedkar-Periyar-Phule Study Circle, which staged its first protest on campus on Sunday.

“Even though we stood silently with posters, the IIT security personnel, administration and the police threatened us with adverse action. We were told to remove the mention of the HRD Ministry from our posters. So the message is ‘don’t say anything against the government’. It is very important for students across campuses to come together,” Paanki Agrawal from IIT Bombay said.

Protesters chanted the slogans such as, ‘when will achche din come?’, ‘long live Ambedkar and Periyar’, ‘down with casteism’ and demanded a revocation of the ban.

“We express our solidarity with the study circle and with the aim of annihilation of the caste system. Silencing of voices is a dangerous step,” said Bodhayan Roy from the Marxist study circle at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research.

“Such bans,” pointed out Sunija M.V. from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), “will obstruct the support system of marginalised students on campuses. As a result you will see more student suicides.”

Students also questioned the irony of demonising the ideas of Dr. Ambedkar, the architect of the Constitution.

“Are we living in dualism?” asked Jackson Khumukcham from TISS. “It is time to think about the kind of education we want to impart. ” he said.

Violation finger at IIT Madras - The Telegraph

Violation finger at IIT Madras

Our Special Correspondent

Police clash with protesters at IIT Madras on Saturday. (PTI) New Delhi, May 31: The National Commission for Scheduled Castes views IIT Madras's recent de-recognition of a Dalit-dominated students' study group as a "prima facie" violation of the law to prevent atrocities against the community. Commission chairperson P.L. Punia has sent a notice to the tech school seeking its reasons for punishing the Ambedkar-Periyar Study Circle, which had distributed an anti-government pamphlet ahead of celebrating B.R. Ambedkar's birthday on the campus on April 14. "You cannot deprive a Dalit student group of the right of expression and right to hold discussions. They have been targeted, it seems," Punia told The Telegraph. An anonymous complaint against the pamphlet's contents had prompted the Union human resource development ministry to seek an explanation from the institute, which de-recognised the group on May 24 on the technical ground of guideline violations. Government sources had told this newspaper that the ministry nudge would have made it difficult for the institute not to act. "Prime facie, it appears a violation of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. We have asked for a detailed report," Punia said. The commission, which has taken cognisance of the matter suo motu (on its own), issued the notice on Friday. It will hold a hearing after going through the institute's report, Punia said. If, after the hearing, the commission feels the institute has failed to protect its Dalit students and has victimised them instead, it can ask the tech school to lodge an FIR against those of its members it believes responsible. "The commission has the power to direct the institute to file an FIR. We will take that decision after hearing them," Punia said. Although the anonymous complaint, forwarded by the central ministry, had accused the pamphlet of polarising Dalit and tribal students and spreading hatred against Hindus and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the IIT had punished the study circle citing only guideline violations. The institute's guidelines for such student bodies, though, are vague and lack clear dos and don'ts. The only clause the study circle may be said to have violated is one forbidding student groups from using the institute's name "without official permission". Rajya Sabha MP and former Mumbai University vice-chancellor Bhalchandra Mungekar contested the IIT's stated reason. "Whatever reason the administration may give, it is just a pretext. The real reason is that the views expressed by the students were not acceptable to the powers that be," he said. The nominated MP added that IIT Madras must undo the punishment, which he described as "unconstitutional and immoral" and amounting to "suppression of the freedom of expression". Mungekar had headed a panel that probed the alleged harassment of Dalit students at Delhi's Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, where they had been awarded low marks in a 2013 examination. He told this newspaper that Dalit students continued to face harassment at many educational institutions. Some of the teachers, he said, adopt a vindictive attitude towards these students, who come from poor backgrounds and lack confidence, instead of trying to boost their morale. This leads to feelings of isolation and depression among these students, sometimes leading to suicide, he said.