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PUCL Maharashtra has issued a statement expressing distress by alleged suicide of Darshan Solanki, first generation Dalit student, of first year B. Tech, IIT Bombay on 12th February 2023. He had confided in his elder sister and aunt about the discrimination he faced at the institute.[1] What pushed this young 18 year old student to take this drastic step is no different than what propelled Ankit Ambore (2014 in IIT Bombay), Dr. Payal Tadvi (2019), Rohit Vimula (2016 ) or Senthil Kumar (2008) or hundreds others, the statement records.
The data shared in Parliament by Minister of Education shows 122 student deaths by suicide in years between 2014 and 2021 from Higher Educational Institutes (HEIs). [2] The data also points out that larger proportion (68) of deaths of students are from socially and economically backward communities, indicating entrenched Institutionalised Caste Discrimination which drives the students to this drastic end. Almost 63% of the undergraduate dropouts at the top seven Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) over the last five years are from the reserved categories.[3]
Institutionalised Casteism: Persistent discrimination over decades
It was because of the persistent efforts of the anti-caste movement that finally only in 1972, that the IITs were forced to implement mandatory reservations for students from the SC/ST communities, that too with only 15 students from SC/ST background in each Institute. In 1996 there was a study conducted of five IITs.[4] The study came up with observations and recommendations. The observations included the financial hardships, discrimination faced by the students from marginalized communities. It noted high dropout rate amongst those students and recommended stern action against the discrimination suggested facilitating loans and scholarships, as well as counseling for all students. In 1980 IIT Bombay students had protested over expulsion of four students, who were facing difficulties over English.
Complete dereliction of responsibility by Institution: lack of redressal mechanism
In 2014 following the death by suicide of a student of IIT Bombay, from a marginalised community, Aniket Ambore, a committee was appointed headed by Professor A K Suresh. The committee submitted recommendation for providing facilities to students from marginalised communities, which were accepted by the Institute.
Out of all the recommendation the only action taken was in 2017, which was formation of the SC/ST cell. The students told PUCL representatives that initially there was only one convenor, with no other resources either staff, office, or helpline number. Most of the students did not even know of its existence. Later some students have volunteered to help. Now one co-convenor has been appointed.
The PUCL statement states that organisation representatives met some students from the Institute. The student volunteers help out many students with issues of scholarships, as most students from marginalized communities also come from economically weaker background. These volunteers and other students after extensive discussion with the convenors of SC/ST cell, have worked on the mandate for the cell and submitted the same.
[1] https://tennews.in/iit-bombay-student-dies-by-suicide-family-alleges-caste-discrimination/
[2] https://www.deccanherald.com/national/west/dalit-body-seeks-iit-b-student-death-probe-from-centre-1192074.html
[3] https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/parliament-proceedings-60-of-dropouts-at-7-iits-from-reserved-categories/article35752730.ece
[4] Study conducted by Vinay Kirpal and Meenakshi Gupta is available in IIT library
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