[Reader-list] join the Demonstration At IIT Delhi Main Gate on 26th June 2008

[rakesh at sarai.net]

Dear Friends,


In the beginning of this month, IIT Delhi, citing ‘very low’ academic
performance as the reason, served termination notices to 28 students
coming from 1st, 2nd and Final Years of the B.Tech. Programs.  Majority of
the terminated students are SC/ST (20), with rest from General Category
primarily including OBC 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 Professors and leaving the fate of
the students on the mercy of the faculty members. The arbitrariness of
such system is the basis of the alleged poor academic performance. 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 terminated Dalit students were forced to approach the
National Commission for   Scheduled Castes for redressing of their
grievances. The students narrated their experiences of Caste Based
Humiliation and the Discrimination they faced in campus, both from the
Faculty & the Administration. The Chairperson of the Commission, Sh Buta
Singh called the Director of IIT Delhi for explanation 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.

Meanwhile, IIT Delhi has formed a Review Committee headed by a Retired
Dalit Professor with some Internal Faculty Members, which has started the
inquiry into the termination. However, the student who have deposed in
front of this committee have expressed their dissatisfaction with the
committee, as it is not revoking the termination also not redressing the
caste discrimination faced by the students.


Our Justifiable Demands

·        Immediate repeal of the termination order of all 28 students.

·        Nullification of the existing committee to look into the alleged
termination of students.

·        An independent Committee headed by an outside Expert, comprising
of Socially Sensitive members to be constituted under the Aegis of
Government/HRD Ministry to look into the caste based Discrimination in IIT
Delhi.


We Appeal

The Progressive People, Students & Supporters of Human Rights & Dignity to
join hands in IIT Delhi Students for Struggle for Justice & join the
Demonstration At IIT Delhi Main Gate on 26th June 2008 at 10:30am

IIT Delhi: DALIT STUDENTS FORUM FOR JUSTICE

Contact: , Anoop: 09313432410; Sanjeev: 09958797409,  Chandra Nigam 
9899870597 Dr Ajita Rao 9818929480 ; Rajesh  09868664313



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