45% IIT Delhi respondents agreed students use casteist slurs, says report of 2020 survey

NEW DELHI: The report of a 2020 survey conducted among Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi students by a student group and made public recently highlighted that 45% of 545 respondent students agreed that “students in IITD tend to make casteist unintentional comments”. Additionally, 35% students agreed that “a lot of students” at IIT Delhi make casteist comments intentionally. The survey was conducted by Board of Students Publications (BSP), an official student media body of IIT Delhi, among undergraduate BTech students. Its results weren't released until recently.

The survey titled “Fault Line: Category”, was conducted in 2020. The report was made public recently after two Dalit students from mathematics and computing department, also extended their BTech degrees, Anil Verma and Ayush Ashna, died by suicide within two months time in July and September.

Also Read | Another IIT Delhi BTech student dies by suicide; second case in 2 months

The report highlighted that 20% of students agreed with the question “casteism inside IIT is more prevalent than outside IIT”. “More than 1 in 2 of ST/SC category respondents felt that students intentionally pass comments,” it stated. It also stated that 30% of the students from general category and other backward caste category (OBC) chose the option in comparison to 53% from SC/ST categories.

The inference drawn from these responses highlighted that the definition of casteism is different amongst students from different categories.

Prevalent casteism

Eleven percent of the IIT Delhi students know of professors or administrative staff who have made casteist comments, which was also agreed by 6% of general category and 9% of OBC category students. Further, 14% of students encountered casteism first after coming to IIT, stated the report.

Further, 23% of general category students from the reserved category don't like to hear casteist comments but “don’t say” along with 44% of OBC and 68% of SC/ST respondents. Further three in four students from the reserved category are negatively affected by the casteist comments.

Also Read | IIT Delhi Suicide: Inquiry, ‘public report’, reservation in faculty recruitment, demand students

When asked if students make casteist comments “advertently or inadvertently”, one in two general category students agreed on it. The students said that other students make casteist comments “purposely”.

Two of three students from the general category felt that students from reserved communities “get undue advantage in IITD”.

IIT Delhi Survey: 'Undervalued'

The survey stated that a “significant” number of students from the historically marginalised communities feel “undervalued and negatively affected” by the casteist comments. It also noted that family income and background of students play an “important” role in systems in IIT that are fair or unfair which further influences the purposeful/inadvertent usage of casteist comments.

If you, or anyone you know, needs help, AASRA has a list of resources here: http://www.aasra.info/helpline.html