Prof Gopal Das, an associate professor at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore has accused the institute's Director Rishikesha T Krishnan and seven other employees of caste-based discrimination. However, the institute has strongly denied the allegations.
The matter caught everyone's eye after the professor from the Marketing field wrote a letter to Karnataka Social Welfare Department Principal Secretary P Manivannan about the allegations on May 15. Earlier, he also raised a complaint with President Droupadi Murmu during her visits to the institute in January 2024.
Based on the complaint, the President's office directed the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) to initiate an enquiry into the matter in March. In a report stated by the Times of India, the professor alleged that his promotion was held back due to his caste.
However, the institute denied the allegations by saying, “IIM-B categorically and strongly denies all the allegations made in the letter. IIM-B is a law-abiding institute with zero tolerance for any form of discrimination. Any complaint of such manner has always been dealt with utmost attention and detail in accordance with the rules and regulations of the Institute and the law established,”
“The Institute has strong internal mechanisms against any form of discrimination. The Diversity and Inclusion Grievance Redressal Committee (DIGRC) looks into all complaints of discrimination including those related to SC/ST. We do not want to comment further as the Institute has given its detailed response on the complaints made to the Hon’ble President of India to the authorities concerned,” the institute's statement added, as stated in a report by The Indian Express.
