AISA supports Ashoka University students demanding caste census on campus

NEW DELHI: The All India Student Association (AISA Delhi) has come in support of the students of Ashoka University who are demanding a caste census in the campus among students, faculty, administration and staff. The Ashoka University students are demanding affirmative action, ensuring reservations to SC, ST and OBC students as well as a memorial lecture named after Babasaheb Ambedkar.

The students started a protest in front of the Ashoka University Gate yesterday. The protest was initiated following a week of indefinite sit-in. The students are demanding a memorial lecture to engage and highlight issues of marginalisation and social inequality. Students have also demanded relaxations in the fee payment structure and scrapping of the late fee payment fines.

The students’ body, Social Justice Forum (SJF) has also claimed that the university administration was not letting them to set up a tent for the protestors. “The SJF faced resistance from the administration in setting up a tent for the protest starting outside the gate today. The admin expected us to email them for tent permission for a protest against the administration itself. The students raised slogans and ensured that the tent was set up,” the SJF said on its X account.

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Equal opportunity cell

Following the week-long sit-in protest, the Ashoka University had agreed to set up an equal opportunity cell to improve policies on inclusion and diversity. “We are actively working on creating an equal opportunity cell, whose role will include making recommendations to the University to improve prevailing practices and policies on inclusion, diversity and sensitisation. It will have faculty, staff, and elected student representatives as members and will be operational soon…,” the university told The Indian Express.