There can be no debate over reservations in the Indian Institutes of Technology. Privilege is often the hand that tilts the scale, and it is usually invisible — so much so that many of the privileged do not see themselves as such.
There can also be no debate over restrictions on cheating in examinations — at the IITs and anywhere else — no matter a student’s background; allowing this would be tantamount to creating a separate and more liberal code for the underprivileged.
And while the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 remains relevant, there are instances of its misuse.
In the interstices between the three lies the real story of the death by suicide of a second-year Scheduled Caste student at IIT Bombay after he was found using ChatGPT during an examination, according to the institution’s now-withdrawn statement. The student’s parents have since alleged that he was consistently targeted for his caste, an allegation that remains unproven. And IIT Bombay has claimed that it had assured the student that no action would be taken against him, a claim that needs to be substantiated, especially in light of the student’s death by suicide. Protests have broken out, a police case has been registered against the professor who was supervising the exam in which the student was allegedly caught cheating, and the unfortunate incident has become fodder for the anti-reservation lobby.
Data on suicides, especially when weighted for caste, do not confirm a pattern, although anecdotal reports do suggest that students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes sometimes find it difficult to adjust to an academic environment that is both rigorous as well as heavily skewed towards English-speakers. There have also been reports that the professors appointed by the IITs to counsel and help such students sometimes exhibit bias and prejudice themselves. This is where the IITs, and the Union ministry of education that oversees them have been found wanting. True affirmative action should see reservations as the beginning, not the end.
{{/usCountry}}Data on suicides, especially when weighted for caste, do not confirm a pattern, although anecdotal reports do suggest that students from Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes sometimes find it difficult to adjust to an academic environment that is both rigorous as well as heavily skewed towards English-speakers. There have also been reports that the professors appointed by the IITs to counsel and help such students sometimes exhibit bias and prejudice themselves. This is where the IITs, and the Union ministry of education that oversees them have been found wanting. True affirmative action should see reservations as the beginning, not the end.
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