Most SC/ST students at IIT-B wary of mentioning caste on campus: Report | Mumbai news - Hindustan Times
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Most SC/ST students at IIT-B wary of mentioning caste on campus: Report

ByNiraj Pandit
Mar 13, 2023 05:07 AM IST

The institute has 388 SC/ST students. Of these, nearly one-third do not feel comfortable openly discussing their caste identity on campus, according to a draft report of a survey conducted by IIT Bombay’s SC-ST student cell last year.

Mumbai: According to a draft report of a survey conducted by IIT Bombay’s SC-ST student cell last year, nearly one-third of the 388 SC/ST students said that they did not feel comfortable openly discussing their caste identity on campus.

Mumbai, India - February 20, 2023: Posse of policemen deployed outside IIT Bombay after students protest seeking justice for 18-year-old Dalit student Darshan Solanki, who died by suicide on February 12 inside IIT Bombay, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 20, 2023. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)
Mumbai, India - February 20, 2023: Posse of policemen deployed outside IIT Bombay after students protest seeking justice for 18-year-old Dalit student Darshan Solanki, who died by suicide on February 12 inside IIT Bombay, in Mumbai, India, on Monday, February 20, 2023. (Praful Gangurde / HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

Details from the February 2022 survey – which are yet to be released officially by IIT-B – have not been previously reported.

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Another 131 students (33.8%) said they could talk about their caste only among “very close” friends, while only 27 students (7.2%) felt unafraid to discuss caste in their “extended friends” circles. The term “very close friend” implies someone from the respondents’ own social background. Effectively, this indicates that almost 245 (63.2%) of respondents were not comfortable talking about caste identity openly.

Also Read | ‘Faced caste discrimination’: Family of deceased IIT-Bombay student

“The number maps how hostile, insensitive and unsafe a place IIT Bombay is for SC/ST students,” notes the draft report, adding that the immediate task before the cell and IIT is to make the institution “a safe and secure space and to build the confidence of students so that they can openly assert their identity and seek redressal in case of discrimination”.

The survey report also notes that 83 (21.6%) students responded with a ‘Yes’ when asked if they feared any backlash from students/faculty if they spoke about caste discrimination. Ninety-nine (25.5%) responded with a ‘Maybe’ while the rest said ‘No’. Clearly, a significant number of students do not feel safe discussing caste-based discrimination, a fact that bears repetition in the context of the recent death of Dalit student Darshan Solanki.

Also Read | IIT-B student died by suicide, no caste bias: Interim Inquiry Report

A report of IIT-B’s 12-member interim investigation committee has been criticised by many for attempting to “personalise” the cause of Solanki’s death by blaming poor academic performance, “aloofness”, and anecdotal evidence that he was not subject to caste bias on campus. The SC-ST student cell survey, which has been made public only now, does not include the interim report’s conclusion.

After the survey was completed last year, the SC/ST cell organised an open house on June 29, 2022. As per the minutes of this meeting, a participant pursuing an MA degree said, “I feel uncomfortable at IIT-Bombay. For people here, I am someone with a quota seat, and thus not competent. This makes me doubt whether I really belong here.”

Also Read | ‘No surprises’: IIT-B professor on interim report in Darshan Solanki’s death

Another student said, “I lost my confidence here. I must keep proving my merit, otherwise I have to face discrimination.” It was also suggested at this meeting that information regarding the caste of students not be made available to faculty members.

Need for social audit

N Sukumar, political science professor from Delhi University and author of ‘Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities’, told HT, “I too found many testimonials about caste discrimination. The central government must conduct an independent social audit of institutions like the IITs.” Sukumar feels that reserved category students will not get justice unless the presently low number of reserved category teachers is increased.

Government attention needed

Dheeraj Singh, a former research associate at IIT-B who is mobilising IIT alumni and faculty for SC/ST welfare, said it was clear that 20 to 25 percent of all students were at risk for mental illness or suicide. “IIT’s own committee has blown the whistle on the huge suicide risk of students with low scores, thereby exposing deep flaws in the present system,” he said. “The government allocates 25 percent of the higher education budget to IITs but I wonder if it is serious enough about tackling the chronic problem of student suicides.”

Discrimination during recruitment

An IIT-B professor revealed that he had a similar experience when he was a student at IIT-B. “We grew up in a society where we were taught to tolerate these things, but I still remember my roommate changing his room because of such issues,” he said. “While working as a professor, I did not experience caste discrimination, but in faculty recruitment, if caste is mentioned in the application, it is difficult to get selected. Because of this, we often advise applicants not to mention their caste.”

The SC/ST Cell conducted a survey in February 2022 and a mental health survey in June 2022. The survey was sent to all SC/ST students of the institute; out of 2,200 students, 134 (6.09%) responded.

Highlights of mental health survey

· Of the 134 respondents, almost half (48.1 %) said that either the SC/ST student cell or the Students Wellness Centre (SWC) could approach them. However, 22.2 % were apprehensive about both. Their response indicates students’ distrust of the institute’s bodies.

· Almost one-fourth of the respondents filled in the comments section of the survey. Many students conveyed that they did not fill the survey form because it mentioned SWC, which, they felt, was biased against them.

Highlights from the SC/ST Cell report

· 26 percent of students felt people on campus asked them their surnames with the intention of knowing their caste

· 37.1 percent reported that people on campus inquired about their entrance exam scores after knowing their caste identity

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