Discrimination against Scheduled Caste (SC) students at the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has come to light with students alleging an atmosphere of fear and exclusion on campus.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a Dalit student at IIMC told Dalit Desk that upper caste students were being given preferential treatment in Free-ships and other benefits. The student also alleged that some upper caste students had submitted fake income certificates to claim benefits meant for financially weaker students.
“As a scheduled caste student at IIMC, I can attest that there is an atmosphere of fear on campus. It seems that everyone in a position of authority is from the upper caste, and the fear is that the rights of the coming Dalit children may not be killed. The truth is that if this course were 2-3 years long, I would have probably left. Discrimination is prevalent, and Free-ship are only given to students from upper castes. If this situation persists, it will hinder the diversity and inclusion that the institute claims to uphold.”
The student said
The student also alleged that some students had submitted fake income certificates claiming an income of Rs. 50,000 per year, while they were driving their personal cars and owning iPhones. This discrimination is not only unfair, but it also creates a sense of disillusionment and frustration among the marginalised students who are being excluded from opportunities to succeed.
Another SC student at IIMC alleged that
“The admission criteria at the institute do not support Dalit Students. The admission criteria, which take into account attendance, entrance exam rank, and financial status, heavily favour general category students and those from the economically weaker section (EWS). This puts Dalit students at a disadvantage as they may not have the same financial resources or educational background as their upper caste counterparts.”
The student said, “The criteria is that we keep 30 percent of the attendance, what rank you got in the entrance exam and your financial status. These three categories do not support Dalit & Adivasi children at all, they completely support general children and support EWS people.”
Sumit Chauhan, IIMC Alumnus, Editor The News Beak“You cannot find SC-ST and OBC students even after searching in the list that has come in IIMC for waiving half the fees of the students. The entire list is filled with upper caste students only. IIMC students have messaged us that they need free-ship and they have also applied but the needy students from underprivileged sections are not exempted from fees. If this is not happening intentionally, then how come all the free-ships were given to the students of few castes only? Why difficulties are being created in the education of needy Bahujan students? This is sheer caste discrimination which should be condemned.”
