Varsity students can lodge caste discrimination cases online

Waking up to the caste-based discrimination on campuses the University Grants Commission asked state universities to develop a separate page on their websites where scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students can lodge complaints of caste discrimination.

Published on: Mar 10, 2016, 19:24:45 IST

Hindustan Times | By Shruti Tomar, Bhopal

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Waking up to the caste-based discrimination on campuses the University Grants Commission (UGC) asked state universities to develop a separate page on their websites where scheduled caste and scheduled tribe students can lodge complaints of caste discrimination.

Universities across the state have already started developing webpage where students can lodge complaints on caste bias. (HT file photo)

The UGC directive comes days after Hyderabad University’s Dalit PhD scholar Rohith Vemula committed suicide after he and four other researchers were asked to vacate their hostel accommodation in January 2016 for allegedly opposing the death sentence awarded to Yakub Memon.

Following the UGC circular dated March 1, universities across the state have already started developing webpage where students can lodge complaints on caste bias.

Higher and technical education minister Uma Shankar Gupta said, “Caste discrimination in educational institutions is a serious issue. All the universities and institutes should immediately follow the directives of the UGC. I will also look into matter.”

So far only a handful of universities, including Barkatullah University and Jiwaji University, have a separate page on their official website for posting notifications related to benefits, scholarship and other directives for SC/ST students.

UGC has also directed educational universities to maintain a log on the number of caste bias complaints received and settled.

Welcoming the directive, Rajeev Gandhi Proudyogiki Vishwavidhyalaya (RGPV), SC/ST cell in-charge RK Chedar said, “The university already has a cell where students discuss all their problems, but following the direction of the UGC, we are developing a separate webpage. This is a very good initiative as students can lodge their grievances without any hurdle.” He added that in the past 15 years the university had not received any complaint of caste discrimination.

Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya (DAVV) deputy registrar Yashwant Singh Patel also said that the university has a separate cell for SC/ST. “But if any student passes through caste discrimination, he or she can lodge complaint directly at AJJAK,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Shruti Tomar
I have spent over a decade chronicling Madhya Pradesh’s political and social landscape, covering politics, investigative journalism, crime, human interest, and government policy, blending sharp insight with ground‑level depth. I have closely tracked three assembly elections, three Lok Sabha elections, leadership transitions in MP while exposing governance lapses, tender irregularities, and flawed policy rollouts. My reports have revealed gaps in the Cheetah project, irregularities in medical education, rigging in recruitment exams, and loopholes in policy implementation. In crime reporting, I have moved beyond FIRs to map systemic patterns — from organised crime networks and gender‑based violence to custodial accountability — balancing urgency with sensitivity. My journalism is defined by a commitment to human interest. I have profiled the marginalised Bancchda community, documented atrocities against tribal groups, and highlighted efforts to preserve their culture through heritage liquor and revival of spiritual practices. I have reported on farmers struggling with failed MSP promises, giving voice to those often reduced to statistics in policy files. Passionate about field reporting, I have reported on rampant sand mining in Chambal and Narmada, pharmaceutical companies supplying medicines under altered names, the dire condition of schools and colleges, the plight of commercial sex workers, and skewed sex ratios in specific districts. Beyond deadlines, and as HT’s state correspondent and assistant editor in Madhya Pradesh, I engage with ministers, farmers, students, and activists, believing the best policy stories begin with a single human voice. A postgraduate in Journalism and Mass Communication, I also hold a diploma in sports journalism.Read More

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