The National Commission of Backward Classes has accepted a complaint from a few students groups from various IITs, seeking action against an IIT Kharagpur professor, who was accused of making casteist remarks at SC/ST students. The incident took place in April and following a series of complaints, the institute had suspended her. The students have asked the commission to register a case against her under the Prevention of Atrocities Against SC/ST Act and terminate her from service immediately. The commission has asked the UGC and IIT Kharagpur to take appropriate action.
The complaint by the members of Ambedkar Phule Periyar Study Circles of IIT Bombay and IIT Gandhinagar, Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle and Chinta Bar of IIT Madras, IIT Delhi for Justice, Freedom and Democracy, Science Education Group, IIT Kharagpur, Students for Change, IIT BHU and a few students from IIT Mandi and IIT Guwahati, seeks protection for the students from victimisation by IIT KGP for exposing the video. They also seek to set up an SC/ST/OBC cell in all IITs.
Various data obtained from the Ministry of Education has previously shown that faculty posts and PhD seats reserved for SC/ST and OBC candidates remain vacant in most of the IITs. The complainants seek to fill up the faculty posts immediately by special recruitment drives.
Their other demands including setting up a cell for Persons With Disability and ensuring proper gender representation from SC/ST communities.
