MUMBAI: Asking fellow students about the category of admission, their JEE Ranks or GATE scores could lead to a conscious or subconscious bias and is also inappropriate, said a mail issued by IIT-Bombay to all students on Tuesday.
The mail sharing the anti-discrimination guidelines at the institute mentioned that the administration aims to have high inclusivity within the campus and wants students to bond with each other irrespective of caste, religion or socio-economic status.
The instructions came 25 days after second-year B Tech student, Sahil Wakode, died by suicide. His parents have alleged harassment in the FIR filed with the Powai police.
The guidelines mentioned that it is inappropriate for any person (including students, staff, faculty members) to ask their ranks or any other information that could reveal the caste or other related aspects. “While the person asking the question may feel it is innocent… 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,” it added.
A section of students who have been protesting at the main gate of the campus for the last 25 days, however, claimed that the guidelines, though agree that discrimination can happen at the hands of the faculty and staff, goes on to instruct only the students’ community. In a counter statement, the students alleged that the guidelines are identical to the ones released by the institute three years ago, after the death by suicide of another student, Darshan Solanki.
The guidelines prohibits students from exchanging forwards, messages, jokes that are abusive, hateful, casteist or sexist, or exhibit bigotry on the basis of religion or sexual orientation, or can be construed as harassment or bullying. It added that violations could lead to severe punishment.
Students alleged that faculty members are listed as possible sources of discrimination, but the rules are addressed only to students. Whether faculty members will be instructed in a separate mail is unclear, said the students. “Stop sending template emails with no substance,” they said and asked the institute to initiate a dialogue with students sitting at the main gate.
