Seven years later, fight against ‘lack of facilities’ for SC/ST students still on

Mumbai: Professor AK Suresh’s committee which was appointed to investigate the suicide of a student in 2014 at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), had talked about the lack of facilities for SC/ST students at the institute and what facilities should be created for them

Mumbai: Professor AK Suresh’s committee which was appointed to investigate the suicide of a student in 2014 at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B), had talked about the lack of facilities for SC/ST students at the institute and what facilities should be created for them.

Seven years later, fight against ‘lack of facilities’ for SC/ST students still on

The committee’s recommendations were accepted by IIT-B, but no action was taken on them, said a student collective, prompting them to stand before the administration with the same questions seven years on.

On Friday, the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study circle (APPSC) submitted a demand letter to the IIT-B director asking for all the recommendations of the AK Suresh committee to be implemented.

“Finally, students managed to submit their demands to the administration of IIT-B after being stopped by the chief security officer (CSO) and security. Students held on to their demands fearlessly in spite of threats and intimidation. #JusticeForDarshanSolanki,” APPSC tweeted.

The student group has issued a statement with collective demands on behalf of the student community to ensure justice for Darshan Solanki. APPSC has alleged institutional murder and caste discrimination and raised concerns about the lack of transparency in the investigation committee formed by the IIT administration. The statement includes a demand for an internal independent investigation to be carried out by the institution with at least 50% SC/ST representation on the committee, and for the committee to be headed by an SC/ST person and at least one external member.

The statement also demands the immediate filing of an FIR at Powai police station to investigate the case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and Anti-Ragging Law, as well as the establishment of an SC/ST Students Cell with proper implementation of reservation in admissions and faculty recruitment. The demand for FIR comes after Solanki’s roommate and family reportedly testified that he had been told that he was facing caste discrimination on campus.

“Transparency being the highest priority, the names and the terms of references of the committee need to be made public and there should be a public call for whoever wants to testify before the committee,” reads the statement.

The student group has also called for safe spaces for marginalised community students and the sensitisation of all faculty on issues related to caste, gender, and mental health. They have also demanded the immediate resignation of the IIT Bombay director for failing to provide a safe space for the students and for the administration’s lethargic attitude towards students’ well-being on campus. APPSC on Thursday again demanded the resignation of the director for failing to provide a safe space for the students of the IITB.

AK Suresh Committee recommendation neglected

Institute appointed a committee under the chairmanship of Emeritus Fellow AK Suresh to investigate the facts of the suicide of a student in 2014. The committee concluded its report by saying there is no discrimination found on campus but pointed out the limitations of the institute.

The report stated, “Two basic causes seem to limit the effectiveness of the support systems for SC/ST students, and in general, for all students facing academic challenges: firstly, an ‘elitist’ mindset that is preoccupied with getting the best out of the ‘high achievers’, and secondly, a poor integration of the several arms of the support system for weak students (many of which have come into being because of individual initiatives) into the formal academic system.”

The committee suggested several measures to be taken by the institute to strengthen the ecosystem for SC/ST students. Out of which only an SC/ST student cell was formed at IIT Bombay. According to APPSC, “This cell functions as a grievance addressing body, and there is no way it conducts or attempts to do sensitisation on campus, nor does it try to reach out to students so they could approach the cell in case of need. In our repeated correspondence with the cell, they haven’t given any satisfactory response to our queries, nor have they changed their functioning in any sort. It is the most invisible cell of the campus.”