An IIIT Delhi professor’s post about caste discrimination in the IIT and IIIT system has sparked a debate online. Pravesh Biyani, who studied at IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, shared his personal experience of more than two decades in the system. He said he had never witnessed a teacher discriminate against a student on the basis of caste.
Biyani shared the post on X, where he wrote about his experiences as both a student and a teacher. According to his official profile, he completed his BTech at IIT Bombay in 2002 and his PhD at IIT Delhi in 2012. He has been associated with IIIT Delhi since 2014 and is currently a professor in its ECE department.
Professor recalls IIT experience
In his post, Biyani said that during his BTech, most students did not know the caste of their batchmates. He added that several of his close friends were from SC and ST communities, but caste did not feature in their conversations or academic decisions.
(Also Read: ‘A dream which took 80 years to be true’: Son takes 80-year-old father on first flight)
“As a teacher, I don't ask a student's name before solving their doubt,” he wrote, adding that some of his classes have more than 300 students. He said that, in his experience, teachers treated students equally.
{{/usCountry}}“As a teacher, I don't ask a student's name before solving their doubt,” he wrote, adding that some of his classes have more than 300 students. He said that, in his experience, teachers treated students equally.
{{/usCountry}}Biyani also criticised what he described as “manufactured grievance” about caste discrimination on social media, saying that such discrimination did not exist in his experience.
His comments come amid a wider debate over caste and discrimination in higher education. The discussion has also included the IIT Bombay controversy following student Sahil Wakode’s death.
Take a look:
Internet reacts to caste debate
The post drew mixed reactions from users. Some agreed with Biyani and shared similar experiences from their engineering years.
“Engineering mein caste discrimination ka mauka hota hi nahi,” one person commented, arguing that students have little time for such discrimination during an engineering course.
Another user wrote, “I completely agree with you. As a teacher, all those sitting in front of you are your students.”
However, another commenter pushed back against the professor’s account, writing that Dalits had faced systemic oppression and alleging that discrimination in higher education could take other forms.
“During our engineering days, we did not even know the caste of our colleagues and professors,” another user wrote.
(Also Read: Indian woman in Chicago questions ‘detached’ tag after moving to US: ‘Only 2 people called me in 3 years’)
“Agreed, sir. I never saw any professor discriminate ever,” read another comment.
The reactions show how Biyani’s account has led to a wider discussion on caste and discrimination in engineering colleges.
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)