IIT Mandi's ex-student accuses hostel staff of caste-based harassment

NEW DELHI: An IIT-Mandi alumnus belonging to the Dalit community has levelled allegations of caste-based harassment against the hostel staff, police said on Friday.

The Gurugram native victim, in his complaint, alleged that during his stay in the IIT hostel, he was tortured and harassed based on caste by the catering staff and hostel warden, they said.

A case was registered by the police against five people under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 at Paddhar Police station on Friday, they said.

The inquiry has been handed over to a DSP-rank officer and a team has interrogated the accused at the preliminary level, police said, adding that they would be summoned again for further investigation. The institute management has also constituted a committee to investigate the matter.

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The accused include the hostel warden and four faculty members, they said. In September, the IIT Mandi authorities swung into action and suspended 10 students, including office-bearers of the student body, and initiated disciplinary action against 62 others for allegedly ragging their juniors during an event.

Days later, IIT Mandi Director Laxmidhar Behera stirred a controversy after he asked students to take a pledge not to eat meat while claiming that landslides and cloudbursts in Himachal Pradesh are happening because of cruelty to animals.