Bangalore University has issued a clarification letter to the SC/ST Teachers Association, noting that the allegation of pursuing an anti-Dalit policy is incorrect. In an official statement, the university stated that instructors from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes have always received fair representation and priority.
The reply was given in response to a letter from the association, which expressed concerns regarding discrimination in statutory appointments, violations of reservation requirements, and delays in filling backlog positions, Hindustan Times reports.
The institution explained that statutory positions such as Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Finance Officer, and Registrar (Evaluation) are appointed directly by the government. Therefore, the university has no role in these appointments. It added that perceiving these appointments as discriminatory is unfortunate.
SC/ST (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe) faculty members have been granted preference at the university level in all appointments under their control, the university added. It further illustrated that SC/ST teachers hold 22 of the 30 administrative roles, which include Directors, Coordinators, Special Officers, and Nodal Officers.
Furthermore, the State Government relocated four faculty members from other universities to Bangalore University with the Governor's assent, citing a scarcity of permanent teaching staff.
Currently, 80 of the university's 126 teaching staff are from the SC/ST community, accounting for 63.5 per cent of the total faculty.
The institution further stated that no other public university in Karnataka has filled as many backlog vacancies as Bangalore University has. The Social Welfare Department identified 55 backlog roles, 35 of which have already been filled, with the process of filling the remaining positions beginning.
In the academic year 2024-25, 44 faculty members were promoted to Associate Professor, 29 of whom are SC/ST. The institution restated its support for social justice and fair representation in all appointments.
