FACT FINDING REPORT

Expulsion of SC/ST/OBC and PD students from

IIT, Roorkee

'Excellence' through
Expulsion
A case of Arbitrary Merit vs Constitutional Mandate

30th July 2015 1st August 2015

Written and Compiled by

Nidhin Donald Shobhana
Shefali Saini

Fact Finding Team

Dilip C. Mandal
Anoop Kumar
Gurinder Azad
Nidhin Donald Shobhana
Shefali Saini

National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights

National Dalit Movement for Justice
7/58, Ist Floor, South Patel Nagar, New Delhi 110008
Ph: 011-25842249, Fax: 91-11-25842250
E-mail ndmj@gmail.com
Website: www.ncdhr.org.in / www.annihilatecaste.in

Content
(I)

Introduction

(a) History of Higher Education in India and

Consolidation of Brahmanical Merit
(b) Constitutional Rationale of Affirmative Action
(c) History of IITs and the political economy of
Brahmanical Merit
(II)

Objective of the Fact Finding Mission

23

(III)

Immediate Background

25

(IV)

Manufacturing Failure : Interaction with affected

31

students
(V)

Precautions only after the Flood: Interaction with

41

administration
(VI)

Rules which ex-communicate: Interactions with

45

senior students
(VII)

Under institutional dread : Present Status of the

47

students
Observations

48

(IX)

Recommendations

53

(X)

The need to dismantle Brahmanical Merit :

55

(VIII)

Conclusion
(XI)

Annexure

59

Introduction
History of Higher Education in India and
Consolidation of Brahmanical Merit
Before we get into the details of the fact finding report, a
glimpse of how Higher education was established and
consolidated in India, in its present form, would be very
useful. This historical account would briefly deal with
three aspects (a) Rationale, nature and function of
Universities and non-university educational institutions
in India (b) Major actors in the establishment of higher
education in India (c) the social composition of its
beneficiaries.
Such an enquiry, would underline the historical
significance of this fact-finding exercise. The fact-finding
team is convinced that the entry of historically excluded
groups into public institutions is a historical rupture. It
marks a process of democratization for everyone.
Nevertheless, higher education continues to be the
monopoly of Brahmins and upper castes.
Post- Mandal India has witnessed deafening discourses
on merit and quality in higher education. These
discourses have more or less consolidated the merit of
4

the open category as absolute and unquestionable. One

is tempted to take a look at history to dismantle this
merit and understand how it was realized. While an
extensive look is beyond the purview of this report, a
glance is possible.
Syed Nurullah and J.P.Naik in their book1 chronicle
history of Education in India. They specifically dedicate
three chapters on the establishment and growth of
Indian Universities. They also reflect on the systems of
learning which existed prior to British intervention.
These reflections are based on the enquiries conducted
by British officials or missionaries in early 19th century
in Madras, Bombay and Calcutta. Such enquiries
categorically prove that education was almost always
confined to the Brahmins or the mercantile classes.
Initially, even the British government focused on
encouraging the learned natives of India by spending a
sum of not less than one lakh rupees every year on
them2. The underlying assumption being that the so
called learned (read as Brahmins and allied upper
castes) would introduce and promote the knowledge of
science among the inhabitants of India. However, this
scheme did not operationalize. On the other hand, any
attempt by Dalits and Bahujans to enter schools and
1

Nurullah, S., & Naik, J. P. (1951). A history of education in India during

the British period. Macmillan.
2 Charter Act of 1813

other spaces of learning was vehemently opposed by the

learned natives. The example of Swadeshabhimani
Ramakrishna Pillai, a Brahmanical nationalist and
Malayalam translator of Karl Marxs biography is quite
telling. When Travancore princely state, passed an order
for Dalit school entry in early 20th century, Ramakrishna
Pillai wrote an editorial which not only opposed such a
move but also humiliated Dalits by stating that
Children of those who have cultivated land for
centuries cannot be seated along with children of those
who have cultivated their brains for centuries.
The first colleges were set up with the help the British
Government in early 19th century3. These colleges were
modeled as per the pre-existing systems of learning,
specific to Savarana Hindus and Muslims. Later modern
colleges

were

established

under

the

banner

of

missionaries in Bombay, Madras, Agra, Delhi and

Calcutta.

These

colleges

catered

chiefly

to

the

brahmanical elite of the country. Commenting on this

period,

Dr.

Babasaheb

Ambedkar,

in

his

essay

Christianizing India points out that the Missionaries

initially aimed at converting Brahmins and other upper
castes. They tried to achieve this aim by setting up
Colleges, Schools and Hospitals. The major benefits of
Christian institutions were reaped by the high caste
Hindus.
3

Neither the composition nor the curriculum

These include Calcutta Madrassa and Benaras Sanskrit College.

of these institutions reflected the social conflicts or

diversity of India. Universities, as examination
centers were established in India in 18574. They
did not conduct any teaching or research
programmes.
They
were
conceived
as
administrative spaces which conducted exams,
effectually ensuring employment in government
services.
Late 19th century and early 20th century witnessed the
rise of

Brahmanical nationalists who established

colleges across the country5. The network of colleges

and universities, prepared the brahmanical elite to
readily possess government jobs. The rise of Indian
National Congress during the same period consolidated
the position of Brahmanical s further. For example, S.R.
Talukder in his path breaking essay titled Indian Civil
Service Examination and The Savarna Merit6 tells one
the story of how the upper caste Indians consistently
underperformed in Indian Civil Services despite of
having non-discriminatory schooling in missionary
schools and colleges, consolidation of land ownership
through Permanent Settlement of Zamindari System,
political power through Indian National Congress and
Calcutta University, Bombay University and Madras University
Fergusson College, Pune; Anglo Oriental College, Aligarh;
Pachaiyappa College and the Hindu Colleges at Vizagapatanam and
Tinnevelly, Madras etc.
6 S.R.Talukder (1998), Indian Civil Service Examination and Savarna
Merit, Blumoon Books : New Delhi
4
5

cultural hegemony in every walk of life. In order to

redress this non-meritocracy, they made use of Indian
National Congress as a pressure group.

British

administration provided several measures , such as

reservations, relaxed age limits, priority in specific
appointments, examination in Indian centers and
political

nominations

for

the

Brahmanical

s.

Ultimately, the numbers titled in the favor of uppercaste

Indians

only

after

Europeans

persistently

backtracked from ICS after World War I. Bhagwan

Das7 notes that the Brahmins in Madras and the
Bhadralok in Calcutta colonized the advantages of the
new educational policies and captured most of the posts
available in the administration.
Talukder, in the same book, points out that 15th August
1947 was a day of miracle for the savarnas. It laid bare
all the important positions in public institutions for
upper-castes. At the time of independence, most of the
Indian ICS officers were inexperienced yet they were
promoted to high posts. Similarly, the newly established
institutions of national importance such as IITs were
waiting for ready possession by the savarnas. The trend
still continues. A cursory look at the caste profile of the

Das Bhagwan (2000), Moments in the History of Reservations,

EPW, October 28, 2000 (retrieved from www.ambedkar.org)
7

faculty in IITs would prove this trend8.

National

Commission

for

Scheduled

As per the
Castes

and

Scheduled Tribes, Fourth Report, 1996-97 and 1997-98

nearly 82% of Class I government and non-government
services (in 1989) were monopolized by Brahmins,
Rajputs, Kayasthas and Baniyas. They are overrepresented in these positions approximately by 800%!
On the other hand, SC/ST/OBC and Muslims who
account for more than 80% of the population have less
11% representation in these services.
This capture of public institutions by Brahmanical s
has a very long history. An extremely limited glimpse
was provided in the preceding paragraphs. One cannot
justify this capture on the basis of merit. As Talukder,
pointed out, Brahmanical merit is a social construct of
aids and privileges which were produced by the caste
system. It is not biological but sociological.

As per Dalit Media Network, Chennai (2001) Dalits at the Indian

Institutes of Technology PUCL Bulletin, nearly 95% of the 427 faculty
positions in IIT (Madras) belonged to the Hindu upper castes. The
case is not different in IIT (Roorkee).
8

Constitutional Rationale of Affirmative Action

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar philosophized higher education as
an instrument to seek power and dignity. V. Ramdas9
points out that Ambedkar strongly held that public
education is critical for the empowerment of Dalits and
Backward classes. He added that public education can
be meaningful only if it is representative of the elements
of national life of a country, especially the Scheduled
Castes.
Transformative politics lies at the heart of Ambedkars
educational

vision.

This

politics

was

based

on

emplacing the Dalit student and his/her crisis at the

centre of his vision. Through scholarships, loans,
promotion of science and technical education, ensuring
affirmative action in public offices and educational
institutions he devised an active role for the state in the
educational attainments of Dalits.
Arts. 15(3) (4), 16(4), 330, 332 and 340 of the Indian
Constitution form the basis for reservations (affirmative
action) to historically excluded groups. This affirmative
action upholds the spirit of democracy. J.R. Lowell
Ramadas, V. (2014). Dr BR Ambedkar as an educational and social
reformer. (retrieved from ietd.inflibnet.ac.in)
9

10

defines democracy as a form of society in which every

man has a chance and knows he has it. Historically,
caste-based exclusions and violence hampered the life
chances of Dalits, Adivasis and other sections. In order
to remove these obstacles and ensure participation
and representation to these groups, reservations were
implemented initially for SCs/STs and later for the
OBCs. Dr. Oniel Biswas10 points out that articles 15(3)
(4), 16(4) of the Constitution upholds the right to
equalization

of

historically

excluded

groups.

Affirmative action is a positive response to this right. In

other words, reservation was not envisaged on the basis
of economic status or proportionate representation of
any group. It was aimed at alleviating the disabilities
caused by caste.
Bhagwan

Das

notes

that

reservations

naturally

antagonized those sections of the society who have been

enjoying the monopoly of power. Several articles in
favor of reservations were challenged every now and
then in the court of law.
Similarly, the implementation of affirmative action in
education and employment has been dismal. As per the
2011 socio-economic caste census less than 4% of the
central government employees are SCs and STs. The
case is no different in the case of OBCs.
Biswas Oniel (1998). Reservation: legal Perspectives, Blumoon
Books: New Delhi
10

11

Let us now focus on IITs, their history and political

economy.

History of IITs and the political economy of

Brahmanical Merit
The history of the IITs is as old as the history of
independent India. Hence, one may convincingly say
that those responsible for the establishment of these
institutions of unjust practices were none other than
those who came to lead the country after the British i.e.
the upper caste politicians and industrialists. There
remains no doubt that the IITs were born in response to
the growing aspirations for development felt by this
community of newly independent but already privileged castes.
On the initiative of Ardeshir Dalal, director, Tata Iron
and Steel Company, the GoI appointed a Committee,
under the chairmanship of Nalini Ranjan Sarkar in 1945
to survey the entire question of Technical Education in
India

and

to

make

definite

and

concrete

recommendations in this respect as the Post-War

Reconstruction plan11. Owing to the Sarkar Committee
recommendations five IITs were set up within the
11

Saha, S. K., & Ghosh, S. (2012). COMMISSIONS & COMMITTEES ON

TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN INDEPENDENT INDIA: AN APPRAISAL.

Indian Journal of History of Science , pp. 109-138.

12

period of 1951-63 (Kanpur, Kharagpur, Bombay, Madras

and Delhi). J.L. Nehru, who always expressed a need for
development of science and technology, congratulated
the country after setting up of the IITs. He envisioned
that the IIT system would over time "provide scientists
and technologists of the highest calibre who would
engage in research, design and development to help
building the nation towards self-reliance in her
technological needs12.
The IITs were accorded the status of institutions of
national importance as they were deemed necessary
for the countrys development in terms of providing
high skilled technicians and engineers for designing
projects like the massive dams, industrial ventures and
power plants. The IIT pass outs became prominent
venture capitalists, entrepreneurs creating one invention
after the other, and creating or becoming multi nationals
themselves. Shaking hand with global capitalism, the
IITs contributed whole heartedly to promoting it within
the country and across the globe. The demand of IITians
grew tremendously within the country and across the
world. In a 1998 article of the Businessweek the IITs were
12

Murli, K. (2003, February 1). The IIT Story : Issues and

Concerns . Frontline .

13

praised for creating "out of limited resources, a class of

executives and entrepreneurs who manage to combine
technical brilliance with great management skills... In
many ways the IIT grad is the hottest export India has
ever produced.'' It has also been observed that over the
years there has been an increase in number of IITians
who migrate to other countries and settle there.
Over time, the true nature of IITs came to the fore. The
IITs advertized themselves to the world not as
educational institutions but as factories capable of
manufacturing

rich

people.

IIT

students

were

developed in order to create a highly competitive and

efficient market product. It has even been suggested that
the IITs have, perhaps, produced more millionaires per
capita

than

any

other

undergraduate

academic

institution in the world (ibid). The IITs failed to make

any headlines for constructive research in any social
field and there remained no example to cite the
contribution of these IITs in bringing about any
meaningful social transformation. Education as being a
means to money and not knowledge is epitomized
when one looks at the structure and functioning of these
IITs. Narayan Murthy, an ex-IITian himself expressed
the failure of these institutions when he said that, "Our
youngsters have not done much impactful research
work despite being equal to their counterparts in
intellect and energy in Western universities," he has
14

said.

(News

link

http://www.firstpost.com/business/old-mans-knockoutpunch-nrn-murthys-comments-on-indian-inventionsare-an-eye-opener-2345372.html)
These factories, were since the beginning rewarded
heavily by the government not only in terms of
humungous central funding and subsidies but were also
assured full autonomy in terms of deciding their
administration, curriculum and functioning. A legal
sanction was provided to this autonomy through The
Institutes of Technology Act, 1961 which laid down the
rules

for

governing of

the

IITs

specifically.

considerably large amount has been allocated to the IITs

in comparison to other institutions of higher education
within the budget earmarked for the education sector.
The 1999-2000 Union Budget accounts for Rs 4380 crores
(revised)

on

'secondary

and

higher

education'

(Government of India 2000). Of this, Rs 499.18 crores went

towards the six IITs. In fact, if one would compare the

amounts allocated to the IITs vs amount allocated to

primary education, one feels that similar investments in
the latter would probably give much better results and
be more equitable too.
These prospering factories have off-shoots of their own.
The demand for IITians has given birth to a hub of
coaching classes that train students to crack the IIT
entrance examinations. The coaching centers mostly
15

charge a fee of anything between 1-2 lacs. Such is the

demand of these coaching classes that a few of these
centers have their own entrance examinations to
evaluate who is capable of preparing for IIT entrance.
Hence, the IITs have proved successful in strengthening
all kinds of hierarchies based on caste, class and gender.
The under- representation of dalits, adivasis and women
in these institutions has been a well known fact. This
leaves us with a very important question of why the IITs are
of national importance after all? Why are they important if
their real contribution is only in terms of accruing profits to a
very small section of people and in strengthening the
hierarchies?
The only possible answer that we could see is IITs are
important not for the nation but for a certain set of
people who have enough power to keep them going and
for a certain cause. Who are these people? What do they
want?
The IITs have been since the beginning owned, run and
administered by the most privileged sections of this
country. If one were to look at the past records, one
finds that most of the Directors and individuals in the
esteemed posts have been elite Brahmins or other upper
caste men. The IITs in its initial years were exempt from
the need of having to implement the reservation policy.
However, after the movement by dalit, adivasi and
bahujan

students

the

affirmative

policy

was
16

implemented in the IITs in the year 1973 i.e. 27 years

after they were established first. And even after the
implementation of reservations since more than 40
years, one does not find many SC/ST teachers and
professors in these institutions. Although, contrastingly
one finds that the lower rank administrative posts are
found filled with the employees belonging to the
SC/ST/OBC categories. A report by Dalit Media
Network, Chennai Notes the following:
One basic anomaly is overlooked. If for 25 years IITs
have been implementing reservation for students,
why is it that hardly any dalits and adivasis hold
faculty positions? Technically, the IITs want to show
that they are indeed satisfying the dalit/adivasi need
to be part of what is an elite setup at the student level,
but in effect they are producing (dalit and adivasi)
technologists and engineers who will not be recruited
by these very institutions. However, in lower-end
posts,

('Class

IV'

employees),

the

scenario

is

predictably the opposite. In 1983, there were in all 800

dalit employees in IIT-M. Of these, 796 were
scavengers. Here the Brahmans staked no claim.
There were four dalit LDCs. ('Caste system is not
merely a division of labour. It is also a division of
labourers' [Ambedkar 1987, 66, emphasis original].)
13

13

Dalit Media Network, Chennai. (2001). Dalits at the Indian

Institutes of Technology. PUCL Bulletin

17

The IITs not only segregate, they also intensify the

difference between the value given to mental and
physical labor.
The IITians are not only trained in making money but
also taught to contribute in the process of development.
The IITs have given their due share in Indian
development model which is based on marginalizing
the already marginalized communities. In line with its
present agenda of development, the government gets
entrepreneurs and engineers who work tirelessly on
implementing projects of national importance. While
talking to Vimal Bhai, an activist working on the issue of
displacement due to big dams in Uttarakhand, says that
the IIT, Roorkee has given sanction to the most
hazardous dams in Uttarakhand which have displaced
large numbers of dalit/adivasi populations. All across
the country the projects have been created mostly at the
cost of lives and livelihoods of these communities and
the IITs have never made a statement against that.
One may also ask about how in a democracy like India such
an institution sustains itself? The answer is autonomy! The
autonomy practiced by the IITs requires special attention.
In an article in Business Line (June 3, 2002), former IIT
Madras Director P.V. Indiresan suggests that the IITs
have succeeded because "by and large, they have
enjoyed the three basic freedoms of an educational
18

institution: freedom to choose whom to teach, who will

teach, and what to teach. The IITs also enjoy full cost
budgetary support. The IITs will remain successful so
long as these amenities continue."
The IITs have a huge benefit of having minimum
obstructions from the government. And yet the IITs
desire even more. In a recent report of the Anil
Kakodkar committee report of 2012 few parts of it are
cited here14:
Established by the Parliament of India as institutions
of national importance, the IITs presently enjoy a
considerable degree of academic autonomy and a
reasonable degree of administrative autonomy but
much lower levels of financial autonomy.
They have the potential to demonstrate their
capability as world-class institutions provided they
are entrusted with a higher degree of administrative
and financial autonomy than presently available, with
assurances of impeccable accountability.

Further, it goes on to say that

Kakodkar, A. (2011). Taking IITs to Excellence and Greater

Relevance - Report of Dr Anil Kakodkar Committee Appointed by
MHRD to Recommend Autonomy Measures to Facilitate IITs
Scaling Greater Heights. Delhi: Ministry of Human Resource
Development.
14

19

While financial independence from Government was

strongly favoured, most felt that the IITs should do a
lot more to raise funds. They have suggested several
strategies for it, including generation of income from
IPR, effective and persistent fund-raising efforts,
industrial consultancy, joint ventures and even
radical privatization 32% suggested that IITs
should become self financing by increasing the tuition
fees. 71% favoured performance-based differential
pay for the faculty.

Hence if the IITs had the freedom then they would

actually fund themselves from elsewhere. One can
easily guess that many elite class MNCs would be more
than happy to fund these IITs and in due time own
these institutes as well. This however, would require the
IITs to radically privatize themselves. The IITs being
really

influential

institutions

have

significant

implications for the other institutions for higher

education and on larger discourse of privatization
within education sector. Other institutions of higher
technical education wish to follow suit and become a
brand. In the committee report it says the following:
Brand IIT: A large majority agreed that Brand IIT,
created mostly by the success of the alumni, is a
good thing. But the IITs need to do much more to
promote, sustain and leverage the Brand, and to make
it truly world class. Their suggestions in this regard
included more emphasis on publications and IPR

20

generation, more industry collaboration and technoentrepreneurial

ventures,

technology/student
achievements

and

holding

festivals
current

international

and
initiatives

marketing
using,

if

necessary, professional agencies. Periodic review of

the structure and pattern of JEE to ensure true quality
and caution against expansion at the expense of
quality (including reservations) also figured in the
responses.
Most were against diversification to include nontechnical disciplines (arts, law, medicine, etc.) for fear
of brand dilution; instead they suggested partnering
with reputed institutions in those fields.

Of various types of Higher Education institutes, 47 per

cent are State Universities, 20 per cent Deemed
Universities1 , 16 per cent Private Universities, 7 per
cent Central Universities, and other 10 per cent
comprising of various Institutes of National Importance
and other university level institutes (UGC, 2012).15
An article by K.M. Joshi notes the following:
Quiet obviously most of this growth of private
higher

education

has

happened

in

the

more

marketable professional courses like engineering,

medicine, management, computer applications, etc.
ranging between 50 per cent to 95 per cent of the
joshi, k. (2013). indian higher education : some reflections.
intellectual economics , pp. vol 7, no.1(15), p.42-53.
15

21

private institutions Trends show that of the various

forms of institutes of higher education that exists, the
number supported by public funding have stagnated
by growth (like the central and state universities,
aided colleges, etc.) and rather the numbers with
private funding have witnessed a speedily rising
growth

(like

the

private

universities,

deemed

universities, unaided colleges, etc.)

The article also shares an observation that the Central

government spending is lopsided towards central
universities and centers of excellence serving hardly 3
per cent of the total students.
Hence the IITs shout out loud asking for autonomy,
privatization and less or no reservation and more
importantly maintaining a certain concentration of
knowledge with the privileged sections of the society.
One can undeniably identify the nexus between the
Brahmanical elite, market, state and its public funded
institutions. This nexus operates against Dalits, Adivasis
and Bahujans both inside and outside the campuses.
Under the garb of merit and autonomy, IIT perpetuates
a system based on inequalities.

22

Objective of the Fact Finding Mission

Through various newspaper reports, it came to our

notice that 73 students were expelled from IIT (Roorkee)
after the completion of their first year in different
undergraduate programmes. It also came to our notice
that 90% of the expelled students come from SC/ST and
OBC backgrounds.
To delve into the facts relating to these expulsions a
team was constituted by the National Campaign for
Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), Delhi who visited IIT,
Roorkee for 3 days from 30th July - 1st August 2015. The
team

consisted

of

Anoop

Kumar

(Independent

Researcher and Educationist), Dilip Mandal (Former

Managing Editor, India Today), Gurinder Azad (Centre
for Social Equity and Inclusion), Nidhin Donald
(National Dalit Movement for Justice - NCDHR) and
Shefali (Delhi Solidarity Group). The team met with the
students who have been expelled, students in the senior
batch and the administration.
The objectives of the FF visit were as follows:
a) Documenting

the

facts

pertaining

to

the

expulsion of 73 students (which include more

than 60 students from marginalized sections).
23

Such an exercise would include recording

institutional explanations and testimonies of
affected students.
b) Reviewing the presence or absence of support
infrastructure

for

SC/ST/OBC

students

by

recording the experiences of students and the

institution.

We

would

also

review

the

participation of students and student's bodies in

the decision making processes.
c) Understanding whether SC/ST/OBC students
face any discrimination, inside and outside the
classroom/hostels and administration.
d) Recording the institutional commitment to
affirmative action and steps taken by the
institution to actualize these commitments.
As civil society organizations play a very important role
in

the

upkeep

of

constitutional

promises

and

democracy, such a fact finding is important in the larger

interest of marginalized sections of the society.

24

Immediate Background
On 15th June 2015, IIT Roorkee, the oldest engineering
institute in Asia, released an official memorandum
expelling 73 1st year students from BTech/IMT/MSc.16
This notice was released during the summer vacation
when students are generally not on campus. None of the
expelled students were officially informed about their
expulsion through e-mail or speed post. They were
informed mostlyby their seniors. The immediate reason
for this mass expulsion as explained by the official
memorandum

and

later

by

IIT

(Roorkee)

in

Uttarakhand High Court stems from rule 33 (1) (a) of

the UG Ordinance and Regulations 2014-15. The rule
states that 'The enrolment of a student in a programme,
shall stand terminated if he/she fails to earn
the minimum number of credits specified at
different yearly levels in the programme as
given in Appendix -J and fails to secure
minimum CGPA of 5.00, notwithstanding the
fact that the student has or has not been put
under academic probation [.]'

16

See Annexure (a)

25

The rule of 'minimum 5.00 C.G.P.A' to continue one's

course in IIT (Roorkee) was introduced only after the
56th Senate meeting held on 10th July 2014. (The Senate
is the highest decision making body in matters of academics.
The Senate members include all faculty members designated
as 'Professors'. The Director is the Chairperson of the Senate.
One needs to point out that this rule was not updated in the
official website of IIT (Roorkee) at the time of the fact finding).
The preceding rule replaced the earlier rule of an
average of 'minimum 4 C.G.P.A'. Students pointed out
that the new rule book was distributed only in the third
month of their course work, without any meaningful
orientation.
Several media reports17 pointed out that 90.4% of the
expelled students belonged to reserved categories. The
breakup of the expelled students as per their category is
as follows:
Total Expelled Students

73

ST

31

SC

23

PD

OBC

See : http://www.jantakareporter.com/india/90-4-of-iit-roorkeesexpelled-students-were-from-reserved-category-decision-unfair-forall/6527 ; Also see reports in the online portal ' Youth ki Awaaz'
.
17

26

General

As per the JEE Advanced Report, 1050 students were

admitted in the year 2014-15. Out of which 160 students
belonged to SC category while 79 belonged to ST
category. Thus, the institutional decision to expel 54
SC/ST students meant a decrease of 15% and 42% in the
total numbers of SC and ST students respectively.
Similarly, this decision meant a decrease of more than
50% in the total number of PD students (4 out of 7).

Litigation and Judgments

To

challenge

approached

the
the

institutional
Uttarakhand

decision,
High

students

Court

with

individual writ petitions. 38 writ petitions were filed in

the High Court. The writ petitions broadly challenged
the interpretation of specific rules and regulations18 in the
UG Ordinance and Regulations 2014. No arguments
were made to highlight the social composition of the
expelled students.

The first judgment on the writ

petitions by Honourable Judge Sudhanshu Dhulia,

dated 15th July 2015, permitted students with backlogs
to appear for re-examinations. However, the judgment
added that a decision on the re-registration of the
The Regulations include Sections 2, 18,33,34 of the UG
Ordinance and Regulations 2014-15. See Annexure (b).
18

27

students would be made only after the institute explains

its stand in a counter affidavit.
The next judgment pronounced on 22nd July 2015 by
Honourable Judge Alok Singh upheld the institute's
'autonomy' in implementing 'prescribed standards'
which are supposedly aimed at ensuring 'excellence'.
The interpretation of the rules by IIT was held as
paramount and final. Thus, the court categorically
rejected the plea of the students. It upheld the
institutional decision of expulsion. It is appalling to note
that nowhere in the judgment is there any mention on
the social composition of the students. However, the
Alok Singh judgment points out that the petitioners did
not themselves 'question' the 'validity' of such rules.
Thus, the court took a role of 'non-interference'. In the
judgment, one is taken by surprise to note that the High
Court of Uttarakhand does not see any precedence in
the Avinash Singh Bagri & Ors vs Registrar IIT
DelhiJudgment uttered by

K.G. Balakrishnan, P.

Sathasivam and B.S. Chauhan on August 12, 2009.The

judgment clearly states that:
[] Article 46 of the Constitution of India
enjoins upon the State to promote with
special care the educational and
economic interests of the weaker sections
of the people and protect them from
social injustice and all forms of
exploitation.
These
socially
and
28

economically backward categories are to

be taken care of at every stage even in the
specialized institutions like IITs. They
must take all endeavors by providing
additional coaching and bring them up at
par with general category students
However, the scope of Article 46 was neither invoked
nor expanded in the Alok Singh Judgment. The next
judgment on the special appeals came on 28th July 2015.
In this judgment, again, the High Court dealt only with
the technicalities of interpreting the rule book. Quoting
precedence, Hon'ble K.M. Joseph C.J. and Hon'ble V.K.
Bist explained how one should understand the use of
'and' and 'or' in the rule book.
Students time and again approached the administration
with mercy pleas and requests. They organized peaceful
rallies and meetings to articulate their grievances.
However, the administration persistently rationalized
its decision in the name of 'Brand IIT'.

29

How do we understand these expulsions?

This mass 'exodus' of students from historically excluded
backgrounds in IIT (Roorkee) is not an isolated incident. IITs and
other educational institutions of National importance, have time
and again manufactured such incidents. These range from drop
outs, expulsions to psychological disorders and suicides. In
Anoop Kumar's report titled ' The Death of Merit' (based on the
2009 expulsion of 12 SC/ST students in IIT- Delhi), he points out
that on an average SC/ST communities loose out nearly 62% of
the total allotted IIT seats every year, due to several reasons such
as unfilled seats at the time of admissions, drop outs, expulsions
etc.. He further observes that the 'magnitude of such loss' should
be contextualized in the 'inhuman exclusion of Dalits and
Adivasis in very sphere of life'. One cannot forget the suicide of
20 year old Manish Kumar Guddolian, a second year SC
student in Department of Computer Science & Information
Technology, at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee.
He committed 'suicide' after jumping off from 5th floor of his
hostel on 6th February, 2011. He was intensely troubled by the
caste-abuses by his classmates, hostel warden and administration.
Dalit suicides in All India Institute of Medical Sciences led to the
formation of a special committee headed by former UGC
Chairman Dr. Sukhadeo Thorat, to frame guidelines for inclusive,
equitable and non-discriminating campuses.
Thus, one needs to bear in mind the systemic resentment against
SC, ST and OBC students in spaces of higher education.
30

Manufacturing Failure: Interaction with

affected students
On 30th July 2015, the FFT visited IIT, Roorkee.
However, we could not enter the college campus as we
did not have a 'credible' reference. The expelled
students who had come to receive us could not provide
their ID Cards due to their expulsion and genuine fears
of administrative backlash. Thus we thought it would be
appropriate to hold our meetings and discussions
outside the campus.
Soon after, in a private hotel room, near the campus, we
met nearly 40 expelled students (including three girl
students) from SC/ST and OBC backgrounds. To set the
context, Anoop Kumar, one of the FFT members,
explained the aims and objectives of the FFT. He also
spoke about prior instances of expulsions in IIT
campuses across the country. He quoted the example of
SC/ST expulsions in IIT (Delhi) in the year 2009. He
shared the experience of expelled SC/ST students from
IIT (Delhi).
The quiet gathering swiftly turned conversant as they
could closely relate to the context set by Anoop. They
pointed out several factors which affect them on the
campus. They questioned the '5 C.G.P.A ' rule which led
31

to their expulsion. They spoke effectually about

experiences of caste-based discrimination on campus.
They highlighted the lack of institutional mechanisms to
address their problems which emerge from their socioeconomic backgrounds. They described how English
becomes a major hurdle in classrooms. They questioned
the teaching methods of the faculty, who, according to
them, fail to cater to their needs.
In the following sections we will go through each of
these factors in some detail. While the sections below
compile insights from the group discussion. 2 separate
boxed sections discuss the social backgrounds of the
students and the institutional problems they identified
in

their

individual

interviews

and

biographical

accounts. The second boxed section is a case study of

Pramod (name changed), one of the expelled students.
Rules which manufacture failure
Most of the students highlighted that they were not
oriented about the changed rule at the time of their
admission. In fact, the orientation programme did not
provide any rationale or explanation on the course
work, distribution of credits or the system of relative
marking. Students pointed out that they enter IITs on
the basis of different merit lists. In other words, students
belonging to reserved categories are admitted on the
basis of separate merit lists and cut offs. However, IIT
32

operates on a system of relative marking. In this system,

individual students are marked on the basis of the
performance of the entire class. For example, if the class
on an average scores 75/100, 75 is held as 6.5 C.G.P.A.
Students scoring less than 75 are assigned grade points
as per their relative distance from the average marks of
the class.
Students explain that such a system is rationalized in
the name of 'healthy competition'. They point out that
in such a system individual progress is outweighed by
collective scores.
Most of the expelled students had completed the
required number of credits stipulated by the Institute
and passed in all the courses. Yet they were expelled.
This exposed a very curious situation. One of the
students explained this situation. He pointed out that
the minimum grade point required to pass in an exam is
4 C.G.P.A. By this criterion most of the expelled
students had cleared all their courses. However, the
Institute imposed the additional criterion of an average
of minimum 5 C.G.P.A. to re-register in the next
academic year. Thus, even after passing in all the
courses students (22 students in all) were expelled.
One of them highlighted that students with several
backlogs were allowed to re-register as they fulfilled the
additional criterion of 5 C.G.P.A. He wishfully added
that if he would have failed even in a single subject, he
33

would have been eligible for re-registration. He said,

Pass hona ek gunha hain! (To pass all subjects is a crime!).
If a student fails in a subject, s/he can appear for a reexamination in the next

semester. Students are

supposed to pay Rs. 1000/ subject for re-examinations.

However, students point out that irrespective of how
well they perform in the re-examination, they can score
only the minimum grade point (i.e. 4 C.G.P.A.) as per
the rules of IIT (Roorkee). Students added that IIT does
not provide any opportunity to improve one's scores.
Instead of providing incentives to improve one's scores,
IIT punishes them by maintaining their grade points in
the border line.

34

A Note on the Social Backgrounds of Expelled students

As an exercise, we asked the students to prepare their
biographical sketches (26 in all). It was a simple and useful
tool to understand the family composition, educational
backgrounds and experiences of students. Majority of the
students in conversations and their biographical accounts
mentioned that they were first generation learners in Higher
Education. A significant number came from Dalit, Adivasi
and Bahujan agrarian families, with parents who are either
illiterate or have hardly completed their schooling. A
whooping majority came from Hindi medium schools, thus
they found IIT classroom instructions highly
incomprehensible. While many students reached IIT by
devoted self-study, others took loans to attend coaching classes
and clear the entrance test. Often students and their parents
were ready to bear the cost of the loan amount (in many cases
as high as Rs. 5, 00,000/-) with the hope that they would
repay their loans once they earn a job. However, as one of the
students opined in his biographical account, 'IIT is not
interested in our hopes!'

35

English: A Major Hurdle

In the group discussion, students unanimously pointed
out that lack of proficiency in English is one of the
biggest hurdles faced by them. Among the students, a
significant

number

completed

their

schooling

in

vernacular medium government schools. While there

were students from English or semi-English mediums,
almost all of them came from Non-English milieus. In
other words, they socialized and conversed in regional
languages all their lives. They even cleared their JEE
entrance tests in Hindi language.
In such a situation, student point out, that 'fast' lectures
in English is highly incomprehensible. In their initial
days at IIT, an English proficiency test was conducted
for them. The test consisted of English grammar, make
the sentences and paragraph comprehensions. The test
did not 'test' them on any English which is relevant to
their everyday coursework. After the test, students were
grouped as 'basic' and 'advanced'. All the 73 expelled
students belonged to the basic group. They were
subsequently given a few highly insufficient workshops
on

English

proficiency.

English

relevant

to

their

coursework was not a part of any of these classes. The

campus does not have an English Language Lab.

36

Disengaging and Discriminating Pedagogies

Students effectively pointed out that teachers do not
cater to their needs in the classroom. For example, most
students come from educational backgrounds where
science and mathematics were taught in blackboards
and not in projectors using slides. Many students
pointed out that the use of projectors has severely
hampered their abilities to understand concepts.
Students pointed out that the use of microphone by
teachers to address the big classroom was a very new
experience for them. It took them a while to understand
their new situations. According to them, senior
professors

often

spoke

over

the

microphone,

uninterrupted, moving from one slide to the other. This

often left them in a state of perpetual confusion in the
classroom.
While talking about the coursework, a few students
highlighted experiences of discrimination within the
classroom. There have been instances when students
who approached teachers with their doubts were asked
their 'category' or JEE Ranks. In fact, one of the students
recollected his experience with an upper-caste senior.
When he approached this senior with a doubt he
remarked that 'being an ST he would not understand the
concept'. Students also recollected experiences of
discriminations in the laboratories. One of them
37

specifically pointed out his experience of attending C++

practical sessions. This student did not have any knowhow about computers as he came from socio-economic
circumstances where computers were inconceivable. In
the first semester, without any background support,
students like him were expected to do complicated
programming assignments in the computer lab. Quite
naturally, such situations would transfix a student into
perpetual confusions in the lab. The teacher was so
overwhelmed by his confusions that he ultimately
remarked ' why do people like even come to IITs? After the
expulsions students met various authorities with their
mercy plea. They also approached a senior faculty in
civil engineering department in search of support.
However, this senior faculty after enquiring about the
categories of the students retorted that it was a good
decision to get rid of category students.
Support mechanisms: A story of false promises
Students spoke in detail about the lack of any support
mechanisms to address any of their requirements. While
the institute officially maintains a narrative of numerous
support mechanisms, in actual experience none of the
mechanisms are operational. Students underscored that
(a) There are no bridge courses in English which are
relevant to their coursework (b) When the institute
realizes that students are scoring low grade points, they
issue a public notice with the name of such students,
38

declaring that they are on academic probation. When we

tried to gather from students the meaning of an
academic probation, students themselves were unable to
explain. Ideally in an academic probation students are
expected to receive special coaching classes and
mentorship. However, none of these mechanisms were
meaningfully provided. The special coaching classes
were non-existent and the mentorship notices were put
up in the tail end of the semester. One of the students
pointed out that academic probation is nothing but a
'warning'. The administration shames the students by
putting up their names in notice boards and thereby
builds tremendous pressure on individual students to
score better. (c) The SC/ST Cell which should provide
key support is almost dysfunctional. In fact very few
students knew about the existence and mandate of such
a Cell. (d) The problems faced by differently abled
students also became a focal point in the discussion.
Differently-abled students described their experiences.
They highlighted that the campus is not disablefriendly.

39

The Story of a Topper

Pradeep Kumar Meena Civil Engineering student was
expelled on 15th June 2015 along with other 72 students. He
was the topper in ST-PD category in the IIT entrance exam
2014. He belongs to the ST category and is a 'person with
disability'. Coming from an extremely humble background,
Pradeep made it to IIT (Roorkee) by sheer hard work and
determination. His parents are non-literate, making him a
first generation learner. The family had to incur a heavy loan
to finance his coaching (Rs. 1, 50,000), with the hope that an
IIT education would change their lives. In IIT-Roorkee he had
to face discrimination at multiple levels. Since his basic
education was in Hindi, Pradeep found it really difficult to
cope up with the course work and classroom teaching. Due to
lack of any meaningful support mechanisms such as special
coaching classes, English remedial classes, mentorship
Pradeep found himself in the midst of many hurdles.
However, the biggest challenges emerged in the practical
sessions. Though he is medically incapable of standing
for more than 10 minutes, in the practical sessions he
was forced to stand continuously for two to three
hours. Though he informed the concerned faculty about
his problem, no action was taken. In fact the faculty
categorically told him that nothing can be done! This
episode deeply demoralized him. It also had an irreparable
impact on his scores. The practicals constitute of 8 credits. He
scored dismally low in these practicals, making this ST-PD
topper a very 'weak' student. While all 73 students were readmitted on 3rd August 2015, Pradeep and six others were
expelled again the very next day on grounds of low scores.

40

Precautions only after the Flood:

Interaction with administration

The FFT tried to contact various officials at IIT to

document their responses on the expulsions. But most
officials denied us an appointment, except the Registrar.
The office bearers kept referring us to one senior official
or the other on the grounds of not being authorized to
talk on the matter. Very little telephonic conversations
with the officials took place.
The Deputy Registrar, Raman Lal asked us to contact
the Dean (Academics) and the Faculty Advisor to SC/ST
students. He added that we may also contact the Deputy
Director because the Director was out of station during
our visit.
The Deputy Director, Professor Vinod Kumar said that
owing to a tight schedule he could not provide us an
appointment. On being asked to comment on the matter
of expulsions he said that newspapers have already
captured the episode and the High Court has
pronounced its judgment. He further added that after
admissions, there is no differentiation among students
in

academic

activities.

Irrespective

of

whichever

category a student belongs to, the students attend the

same classes and are given equal treatment. He also
41

asserted that in his knowledge the students did not

belong to Hindi medium background.
The Faculty Advisor to SC/ST students, Mr. M.K.
Baruah agreed to meet with the FF initially and even
gave

an

appointment..

However,

he

soon

lost

confidence and added that the FFT must first meet up

with the Dean (Student Welfare) and only after that he
would be able to meet us as he is not authorized to
comment on the matter. He said that the issue was not
of SC/ST students alone as even non reserved category
students had been expelled. He said that he was neither
a Senate member nor a Professor and was not part of the
decision. He, in fact, got to know about it from the
newspaper. After the students came to meet him he
helped them write a mercy plea to the Director. He
further asked us to contact the Dean (Academics), Mr.
Pramod Aggarwal.
When we called up the Dean (Academics) Mr. Pramod
Aggarwal he asked us to talk to the Registrar as he was
the only one authorized to talk to journalists. We tried
to get in touch with the Dean (Student welfare) but did
not succeed and had almost lost hope of getting any
appointments with the administration officials when we
made one last call to the Registrar, Mr. Prashant Garg.
He agreed to meet us for ten minutes after he had
already tried to refer us back to the Dean (Academics)

42

and also asserted that the issue was a students issue

and not a SC/ST students issue.
'It is only after a Flood that we take precautions!' Conversation with the Registrar
The FFT met the Registrar, Mr. Prashant Garg at the
Registrar office. The Registrar said that the expulsion of
73 students happened due to carelessness and lax
attitude of the students. He said that IIT does not
differentiate among its students after the admission and
considers everyone as "equal" in the classroom. He
further added that category students enter IITs using
"relaxed" cut offs. After coming to IIT they often cannot
withstand the competition with the non- category
students. He said that in past years, there have been
around 20-25 cases in which students who reached the
end of 4 years they did not have the required CGPA for
placements or to obtain a degree. According to him,
those students themselves argued that it would have
been better if they had been expelled in the beginning
itself rather than after 4 years. In response to this, the
current rule of minimum 5 CGPA was introduced to
make sure that the "weak" students are removed in the
initial years of the degree itself. The Registrar stressed
that the brand of IIT was degrading day by day due to
which the IITians are finding it increasingly difficult to
find a high paying job. He expressed his concern
regarding how in coming years the IITians will find it
43

difficult to find even a 5000 rupees job to do. He said

that the standard needs to be maintained and hence the
administration is getting stricter owing to which the
present steps are being taken. When the FFT asked
about the disproportionately less number of faculties
from SC/ST background in IIT, he said that a standard
has to be maintained while hiring the faculty as well.
On the issue of infrastructure and help for the
differently abled students, the Registrar said that if
students are academically weak then they are put on
academic probation. The course advisor finds out the
weak area and gives counseling to the student.
When asked whether the Institute and its faculty should
be held responsible for such mass expulsions and
'underperformance', the Registrar answered that the
Institute is introspecting and will take necessary steps.
He explained the current expulsions using the analogy
of a flood. He highlighted that is only after a flood (read
mass expulsion) that we take precautions.

44

Rules which ex-communicate: Interactions

with senior students
The team interacted with some students of senior
batches as well. They gave a very sharp critique of the
present CGPA Rule. They explained that given that
there is relative marking hence there would always be a
few students who would fall in the category of below 5
CGPA every year, irrespective of how hard they work.
Every year the lowest ranking students would be kicked
out of the institution. They clearly presented how the
present rule is mathematically flawed. They argued that
such a rule would progressively eliminate most of the
SC, ST, PD and OBC students over the years.
The students also told us how they were not prey to this
rule and there were many cases where if the student
was not able to achieve 5 CGPA then he/she could take a
year or two extra, depending upon his degree and
achieve the required CGPA. This proves beyond doubt
that the number of people who actually got degree by
the end of the stipulated course period was more as the
current rule was non-existent for them.
The

students

also

told

us

about

some

other

policies/rules of college which might prove to be huge

financial burden on the students. One such rule states
that in case a student is not able to clear a backlog in a
45

certain subject within two years then the student has to

pay Rs.45,000 per subject to apply for that paper again19.
This means that if the student has by some chance 2
papers left to clear then she will have to pay a
humungous amount of 90,000 to apply for a reexamination. Again such a re-examination will only
promise the student minimum grade points.
Eliminating the Public life of Dalit, Adivasi and
Bahujan students
Another set of rules which operate in IIT has serious
implications on SC, ST and OBC students. In the
students' affair council, the official student body of IITRoorkee, only those students with high grade points can
contest elections. For example, to contest for the highest
post (i.e. the President) the candidate should have a
minimum of 7.5 C.G.P.A. Similarly, only students with
more than 6.5 C.G.P.A can head college festivals and
other events. Students scoring less than that can always
work 'under' the heads. The class representatives are the
top scorers in every class. If a student wishes to stay
back in the hostel for a project work, he/she would be
eligible only if they have a C.G.P.A of 7.5.
The seniors argued that such rules are not only
discriminatory but also eliminate any possibilities for
most of the SC, ST, PD and OBC students to develop
19

See Annexure (b)

46

their full personality and participate actively in the

public life of the Institute.

47

Under institutional dread: Present Status of the students

A Senate meeting was held at IIT on 3rdof August 2015 in which it
was decided that all the students who had been expelled in July are
being granted one more chance to continue education at the institute
provided that the students fulfill the following difficult conditions
(a) a minimum attendance of 75% in every subject (b) No backlogs
in semesters or at the end of Ist year (c) A minimum C.G.P.A. of 5
points (d) A yearlong academic probation (e) Clear all subjects once
again.

With these conditions, students would continue at IIT

(Roorkee) under constant psychological pressure and fear. The

students were relieved to know that they were at least not going to
get expelled20.
However, the following day when the students went to take
readmission a few of them were refused re-registration. It turned
out later that 7 of the students (6 of them belong to
SC/ST/OBC and PD categories) had been expelled even after
the previous days' notice and were not informed about same.
This is an act of extreme malevolence by the administration
and reflects the authoritative nature of IIT (Roorkee). It is yet
another example of arbitrary decisions taken overnight
without any concern for the social and psychological cost it
may incur. The Director has denied meeting the expelled
students. It should be noted that the Director has not met the
affected students even once.

20

See Annexure (c)

48

Observations
A. Lack of Institutional Support and Infrastructure
for Students from Diverse Backgrounds:

There is a lack of proper orientation to

the category students at beginning of the
semester.

The necessary support to students like

English

language

coaching

classes,

summer

slow

tracking

classes,

programme

announced

administration

at

the

by

time

the

of

the

orientation were not fulfilled.

The evaluation period of one year is too

less for them to be able to match up to the
grades which are easily achievable by
most non- category students. Many
quoted examples of students who scored
4.8 CGPA in the first year but could
improve their scores by the time they
reached

in

the

final

years

of

the

programme.

The

remedial

provided.

classes

However,

the

were

never

documents

submitted by IIT in the Honorable High

Court stated that students were notified
49

but none attended the remedial classes.

(Confirm)

Students'

access

to

the

institutional

bodies meant for grievance redressal is

close to nil and mostly these bodies are
dysfunctional or powerless and express
insensitivity to students concerns.

Even when the teacher understands that

the student needs help, they ask the
students to take help from their seniors
or classmates. Any form of institutional
support is absent.

B. Undemocratic Ways of Decision Making and

Lack of Student Representation:

The college was trying to implement the

present grading system since past 3 years
and only this year it has succeeded
(Senate minutes, 2014). The students
were not properly notified about the
grading rules getting implemented in this
year and much confusion and lack of
awareness

regarding

the

same

was

expressed. They did not upload the

changed rules in the website.

When parents approached the authorities

on the rules and regulations of CGPA,
they were asked to visit the official
50

website. However, the website doesn't

include the latest rules and regulations
till the date on which fact finding has
been conducted.
C. Nature of Premier institutions such as IITs
and the inherent Discrimination:

The 5 CGPA rule employed here is in fact

a

step

undertaken

to

'undo'

the

affirmative impact of the reservation

policy. The resistance of such "premier"
institutes towards reservations is clear
where the institution tries to sell its
image of being "par excellence", so much
so

that

it

remains

accommodative

towards only the toughest and the most

competitive and inevitably the most
privileged.

Many of the students who have been

expelled have cleared all the papers as
per the passing CGPA of 4 points. On the
other hand, students who have failed in a
few subjects but could maintain an
average of above or marginally above 5
have been retained.

Most of the Professors in IIT (Roorkee)

had no clue that IIT entrance exams are
also conducted in Hindi.
51

Castiest comments made by one faculty

of the Civil Department were clearly
recollected by the students. He said, "I
am extremely happy that category students
are being kicked out, Category students are
incapable of understanding anything"

The

rules

are

really

arbitrary

and

discriminatory. ex, the class topper will

be by default the class representative.
Students do not have any representation
in any decision making bodies.

The students said that most of the

teachers are not supportive and those
very few who do support are not doing
much to help the students.

52

Recommendations
The FFT recommends the following to ensure that the
rights of the students are safeguarded:

The

expulsion

of

students

is

Anti

Constitutional on all grounds and any rule that

attempts to declare any student a failure at the
end of first year itself should not be applied
anywhere in any university or college campus.
This implies that not only should the minimum 5
CGPA rule be removed but also that all 73
students should be re admitted to the institution.
There should in fact be no expulsions on account
of underperformance.

Public

auditing

of

funds

received

under

Scheduled Caste Sub Plan (SCSP) and Scheduled

Tribe Sub Plan (STSP) should take place and the
institution should show how this amount is
being spent on students for students welfare21.

Taking into consideration that the students are

from varying socio-economic background the
students the institution should produce a proper
plan in which the issues of students from

21

As per the budgetary allocations for the year 2015-16, IITs

are allocated nearly 450 crores from SCSP and STSP.

53

SC/ST/PD backgrounds will be dealt with. Need

based special language empowerment course
should be initiated everywhere.

For underperformance of the students, teachers

should also be held accountable.

The students from SC/ST/OBC backgrounds

should get representation in decision making
bodies

and

Student

Union

should

be

formulated within the campus.

The

institution

should

have

SC/ST/OBC/Minority student's cell which would

provide a reliable platform for the students to
express and redress their grievances and issues.

The campus should have Statues of Dr. B.R.

Ambedkar and Mahatma Jotiba Phule and other
anti-caste intellectuals in prime locations. These
spaces should be set free and students should be
allowed to sit in groups and discuss and
deliberate on issues which they deem relevant.

There should be compulsory refresher courses

for faculty orienting them on the issues of SC,
ST, OBC and PD students.

There should not be a monetary punishment for

non-clearance of examination. The institution
should not be allowed to charge a fee as high as
45,000

in

any

case

whatsoever.

For

re-

examination the college should calculate and

charge an appropriate affordable amount.
54

The Need to dismantle Brahmanical Merit

The fact finding team was startled by the scale of castebased

discrimination,

often

camouflaged

in

the

language of grade points. While the primary mandate of

the Fact Finding team was to collect and analyze the
facts pertaining to the recent mass expulsion, several
other related issues came our way. The Institute has
persistently tried to build rules (including the regulation
which led to the expulsion) which are antithetical to the
constitutional commitment to affirmative action for
socially, culturally, economically excluded groups.
Though the Institute has offered another chance to most
of the expelled students, it has not repealed the
regulation. Thus, one can expect mass expulsions almost
every year. This systematic expulsion is orchestrated in
context where IITs have time and again failed to
understand the questions of the new student.
There is a need to dismantle the exclusionary value
systems which govern the rules and regulations of IITs.
In other words, we need to debrahmanize IITs, and remould them in a way which is relevant to excluded
groups. IITs were formed on the basis of IIT Act, 1961.
The act puts forth the aims and objectives of IITs. These
institutes were supposed to produce knowledges
relevant to the nation and become excellent centers of
55

learning. Whether IITs have achieved such progress for

the country is a separate investigation. A commentary
on it was done in the introduction of this report.
However, one can surely cast a shadow on the
'excellence' of IITs, looking at their murky ranks among
the top universities in the world. More importantly, the
total

disregard

for

diversity

on

campus

by

manufacturing such mass expulsions is an example of

how IITs have a limited understanding of quality and
excellence. Diversity brings with it new questions.
Without new questions there would be no innovations.
The top most universities in the world nurture this
diversity and thereby excellence by promoting racial
minorities and historically excluded sections of the
society. They run special programmes and develop
creative mechanisms to solve the problems of new
students. However, our country and its premiere
institutions derive 'excellence through expulsions'.
Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar held clear views on university
education, autonomy research and teaching. As the
member of the academic council and syndicate,
University of Mumbai, between 1935 and 1937,
Ambedkar very clearly laid down his views on several
issues. For example, he believed that the decision
making powers of the University (which is crucial for its
autonomy) should be distributed in three or four bodies
composed on not just faculty and teachers but also
56

students,

community

members

and

political

representatives. He asserted that no university can

function if it is cut off from the community. However,
the present organization of Universities does not
envisage any specific role for the community or its
pluralistic needs.

What we see in IIT Roorkee is an

absolute concentration of power in the hands of the

Director and the Senate. It should be noted that the
Senate is constituted of all the Professors. The Senate
has close to zero SCs or STs. It has no students
representation. Community representation is a farfetched dream!
Academic

autonomy

should

be

subject

to

the

constitutional mandate of representation and social

justice. Social justice is in no way an anathema to
autonomy or excellence. However, the basic premise of
excellence and merit in a caste society has always
overshadowed social justice.
Shailaja Paik22 points out that the Brahmanic idea of
knowledge production is anchored on the principle of
accumulation (Nyanasanchay). It is understood as an
isolated, individual exercise without any interface with
the community. On the other hand, anti-caste visions of
knowledge production are anchored on the principle of

Paik, S. (2009). Caste, Gender and Education in India: The Experience of

Dalit Women. Routledge.
22

57

dissemination and creation of a learning community.

It imagines a strong interface with communities. It
upholds the right to represent ones own cause.
Progressive social movements have conceived education
as a process which instills egalitarian citizenship and
dignity.

Similarly, thoughts of Latin American and

Black Educationists also envisage a political role for

education, anchored in collective action. What we see
today in IITs is a philosophical conflict between groups
with opposing histories and visions. This fundamental
conflict plays out in the protocol, pedagogy and politics
of Higher Education.
In spaces like IIT, where high skilled labor is
manufactured for global market-places, accumulation of
knowledge perfectly conspires with accumulation of
capital. Our society is not is awe of IITs because we have
witnessed

scientific

revolution

or

dismantled

irrationalities of caste, religion, gender etc. On the other

hand, we associate sanctity to IITs because they
personify temples of Brahmanic merit. Dismantling this
merit is inevitable for a just society.

58

Annexure (a)

59

60

Annexure (b)

61

Annexure (c)

62