*Join Protest to Ensure Justice for Dalit students in IIT Delhi* * *
*Recently, IIT Delhi served termination notices to 28 students from 1st, 2ndand Final Year of the B.Tech Programs, citing their 'low' academic performances. Majority (20) of the terminated students belong to SC/ST community, rest from general category including OBCs and minority students. All these students were asked to leave the campus immediately.* There is a complete lack of transparency in the grading system followed by IIT Delhi giving absolute powers to the faculty members leaving the fate of the students on their mercy. The individual prejudices coupled with the arbitrariness of marking system are responsible for the alleged poor academic performance of Dalit students. Though IIT Delhi claims to follow a 'relative' evaluation system, however, the Administration is highly secretive and does not disclose any information, which can be used to make any relative evaluation and comparisons. The Administration is not even disclosing the complete list of terminated students, despite repeated requests to the Administration by the students. With dreams shattered and taken aback by the highhandedness of the Administration, the affected Dalit students were forced to approach the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) for redressal of their grievances. The students narrated their experiences of caste-based humiliation and discrimination both from the IIT faculties & the Administration. The Chairperson of the Commission, Sh Buta Singh, then summoned the Director of IIT Delhi on 17th June 2008, wherein the Director underplayed the issue by giving wrong information that only 12 students were terminated of which 7 belong to SC/ST. Sh Buta Singh has given 2 weeks time for the administration to reply back to the Commission. After being rebuked by the NCSC, IIT Delhi formed a Review Committee headed by a retired Dalit professor on 20th June to look into the matter raised by the students. However, the Dalit students who had deposed in front of this committee have expressed their complete dissatisfaction as the committee was not willing to listen to the students' version. The students have a strong belief that the committee is complete eyewash and a very dishonest attempt by IIT administration to look into their cases. Not a single question was asked by the committee on caste-based discrimination and when the students tried to raise the issue, they were cut short. *Our Demands* · Immediate repeal of the termination of all 28 students. · Nullification of the existing committee · An independent committee comprising of socially sensitive members to be constituted under the aegis of Government/HRD Ministry to look into the issue of caste- based discrimination suffered by Dalit students in IIT Delhi. *We Appeal to all **the progressive people, faculty members, students & Human Rights defenders to support IIT Delhi Students' Struggle for Justice & join in large numbers for* * * *Demonstration at IIT Delhi Main Gate on 26th June 2008 at 10:30am*** * * *Dalit Students' Forum for Justice* Sanjeev(09958797409), Chandra Nigam (9899870597), Dr Ajita Rao(9818929480), Anoop(09313432410) --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth?hl=en-GB -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
