Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) has published anti-discrimination guidelines in response to suspected caste-based prejudice on campus. IIT-Bombay has ordered its students to abstain from asking for information about each other’s caste or other relevant factors, such as their GATE or JEE (Advanced) rankings and scores. In a set of anti-discrimination guidelines released by the institute as the incoming class of 2023–24 arrives on campus, it was said that asking about rank might appear to be an effort to determine caste and may create a ‘stage for discrimination’.
The guidelines were released months after a first-year student Darshan Solanki’s death brought caste-based prejudice on campuses to light. The directives encourage the new batch of students to build their relationships with one another regardless of caste, religion, or socioeconomic background. Additionally, it forbids students from sending jokes or comments that are bigoted, sexist, casteist, or abusive.
“It is equally inappropriate for students to ask other students about their JEE (Advanced) ranks/GATE scores or any other information that may reveal the caste or other related aspects. While the student asking the question may feel it is innocent, and it may be driven purely by curiosity, asking the question can often have an adverse impact on the other student. Asking could appear like an attempt to find the caste, and may set the stage for discrimination,” emphasised the guidelines issued by IIT Bombay administration.
The institute took it a step further and encouraged students to connect through shared interests like their department, sports, music and movies, hobbies or even based on their schools, colleges, hometowns and villages. Additionally, the institute forbids students from exchanging or forwarding any jokes or other matter that is harassing or bullying, abusive, prejudiced, casteist, sexist, or displays intolerance. Such information shouldn’t be shared in person or on social networking sites like Facebook, WhatsApp, or email.
The administration cautioned students of harsh penalties for breaching the rules and underlined that everyone should be courteous and considerate of others’ sentiments.
Meanwhile, several students have spoken out about suspected discrimination in the mess at hostels 12, 13, and 14. They said that vegetarian students had an informal segregated seating area where non-vegetarians are not permitted to sit. In order to draw attention to this matter, posters reading “Vegetarians only are allowed to sit here” were put up. The information was, however, rejected as “not true” by the IIT Bombay administration, who also insisted that no such discrimination was taking place.
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