TNUEF, pro-Dravidian, Dalit groups to hold demo across TN against continuing incidents of caste discrimination in IIT Madras

Tamil Nadu Untouchability Eradication Front (TNUEF), a wing of CPI(M), along with various pro-Dravidian groups and Dalit organisations would stage a protest across the state on Monday against the caste based discrimination of the students and the teaching staffs in IIT Madras.

A joint statement issued by the leaders of TNUEF along with Dravidar Viduthalai Kazhagam, Thanthai Periyar Dravidar Kazhagam, Adi Tamilar Katchi, Tamil Puligal Katchi and other groups said Vipin P. Veetil, an assistant professor of economics at IIT Madras resigned from his post alleging multiple instances of Caste based discrimination in the premier institute.

"Rather than addressing thr issues of discrimination, Union Ministry of Human Resources and Development's committee has recommended for exempting IITs from following reservation policy in the appointments of the teaching staffs. To protest against such injustices and uphold social justice, various organisations have come together to hold demonstrations across the state on Monday," they noted.

They pointed out that IITs across the country, including Chennai have failed to implement the reservation criteria properly and it was exposed through RTI replies and recent reply to Madurai MP Su Venkatesan's query in the Lok Sabha. "The students and teaching staffs hailing from the lower strata of the society who enter the IITs overcoming various hurdles faces caste-based discrimination," they said.

Professor Vipin P. Veetil’s resignation email, which is now public, reads: “There were multiple specific instances of discrimination and I shall be pursuing appropriate action to address it…. One of the curious phenomena I have observed here is that the Bayesian prior among many is that caste discrimination is a rare occurrence. My own experience, and conservation with members of SC and OBC communities, suggests that the prior is far from true.” However, IIT Madras said in a statement, “the institute has no comments on this email. Any complaint received by the institute from employees and students is attended to promptly through the established process of redressing grievances.”