IIT Bombay News: Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT Bombay) the case of death of a student came to light last month. The student died because of caste discrimination. However, the inquiry committee constituted by IIT Bombay has denied caste discrimination. It says that the reason for the suicide by the student could be poor academic performance. But now in a report shocking information about caste discrimination in IIT Bombay has come to the fore.
Caste discrimination is found in the draft report of a survey conducted last year by the SC-ST student cell of IIT Bombay. According to the draft report, close to a third of the 388 SC/ST students studying at the institute say they do not feel comfortable discussing their caste identity openly on campus. The information for the February 2022 survey has not yet been released by IIT Bombay.
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What did the survey report say?
According to the report, 131 students (33.8 per cent) said that they can only discuss their caste with close friends. There were only 27 students (7.2 per cent) who said they were afraid to talk about caste within their slightly extended circle of friends. 'Very close friends' meant here students who were friends with students of similar social background.
The report also reveals that around 245 (63.2 per cent) students were not comfortable talking openly about their caste identity. These numbers show how insensitive and unsafe IIT Bombay is for SC and ST students, said the draft report. For this reason, it is necessary for the SC-ST cell and IITs to first make the institute a safe place, so that trust can be built among the students.
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The survey report also states that 83 (21.6 per cent) students answered 'yes' when asked whether they fear backlash from students/faculty for speaking up about caste discrimination. 99 students (25.5 per cent) answered 'maybe', while the rest answered 'no'. This clearly shows that a large number of students do not feel safe discussing caste-based discrimination in the institution.