TN is progressive, but IIT Madras is casteist: Former teacher Vipin Veetil

Former assistant professor of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras Vipin P. Veetil, who has sought a proper reinvestigation into his complaint of caste discrimination at the institute, said he and his family were continuously “harassed” by the senior faculty for the past five months.

Vipin P. Veetil, who rejoined IIT Madras a year ago, again resigned on January 20 this year, citing caste discrimination. This time, Veetil left the institute with three demands: one is to get two senior faculty members to step down from their positions. Second, he wants his case to be investigated by the National Commission for Backward Castes “through an office of its own.” Third, he wants the Union Minister for Education to set up a committee to inquire into the sabotaging drive to recruit SC/ST/OBC faculty in the department.

He has raised these demands in an open letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In his letter, Veetil has introduced himself as “from a community which belongs to ‘Other Backward Classes’ (OBC).”

He said he had been “subjected to discrimination and harassment by senior faculty members and the administration at IIT Madras for more than two years.” The discrimination led him to resign from the institution, he said.

In an interview with The Federal, Veetil alleged that the IIT staff harassed him and his family members as well. “In the last five months, since I demanded an inquiry into the caste discrimination, they didn’t want me to be at peace. They kept sending me notices and when I refused to take them until I get the copy of my testimony to the committee investigating my complaint, they would go to my house and paste the notice when I was not there,” he said.

Also read: IIT-Madras in caste row as Asst Prof Vipin Veetil quits citing discrimination

“Imagine how my family members would have handled it. Some strangers went to my house and stuck notices on the door. I even forgot how many such notices were pasted like that. I lost count of the notices since they kept sending me one after the other,” he added.

The harassment started because of his demand for a proper inquiry into the caste discrimination on the institute premises, Veetil said. In July 2021, Veetil had resigned from his post as assistant professor in the department of humanities and social sciences at IIT Madras alleging he was a victim of his department head’s alleged casteist slurs. IIT Madras had constituted a three-member committee to probe the charges.

“When I came back, an investigation into my complaint was happening and I gave my testimony to the committee investigating the complaint. But, the testimony was not accessible to anybody in the institute. Because, if it is there, people can get it under RTI and the institute does not want it to become a public document,” he said.

“I demanded a copy of my testimony. The committee was not willing to give it at all and they accepted it only after I wrote to the Education Ministry. But, then they wanted me to sign a gag order if I wanted it and so, I am yet to get my testimony. I want a proper investigation by the National Commission and not an internal commission,” he added.

Veetil first resigned from IIT Madras in June 2021. “There is a provision at the IITs that we can come back within a year’s time. Last time too, I resigned because of caste discrimination. When I came back I had some hope. In the last five months that hope has been shattered. I am leaving now for good,” he told The Federal.

Also read: IIT-M asst prof asks CM Stalin to remove colleague accused in caste discrimination case

He further alleged that the IIT Madras is casteist. “Tamil Nadu is progressive but IIT is not. I request the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to also look into the casteism at the IIT Madras as well,” he alleged.

He has written to the National Commission for Backward Classes to inquire into the caste discrimination at the institute since IIT Madras’ fact-finding committee set up to investigate his allegation of caste discrimination was not satisfactory. There have been several errors of commission and omission apart from procedural lapses, he alleged.

In the letter to the ministry, he also requested an inquiry into the sabotage of the ongoing special recruitment drive for SC/ST/OBC faculty members by the senior faculty of the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences of IIT Madras.

“The sabotage has been affected by narrowing the areas advertised, excluding areas that may attract anti-caste individuals, and attempting to raise the minimum criteria for selection,” he said in his letter to the ministry.

To be specific, he said in the letter that despite field experts suggesting ‘Dalit Studies’ to be advertised, the institute had advertised ‘Indian Writing in English.’ Similarly, instead of ‘Political Sciences’ the institute for ‘Political Theory’ and instead of ‘Economics General’, it has called for ‘Applied Economics’.

“The narrowing of the areas advertised will limit the number of SC/ST/OBC candidates who are eligible to apply, and thereby decrease the probability of finding a suitable candidate,” Vipin said in his letter to the PM.

IIT Madras issued a statement reiterating its commitment to “preserving and carrying forward its culture of inclusiveness” and ensuring no one is left behind in access to quality education from an institute of repute such as in IIT. “Any allegations made about us on narrowing the areas advertised is baseless and incorrect. The faculty recruitment area advertised for the English Group in the Humanities and Social Sciences Department is “Indian Writing in English.” This area is inclusive of the area “Dalit Literature with a background in English Literature” initially proposed by some faculty,” read the statement from IIT. “The decision on the area was taken with an intent to broaden the reach among potential faculty applicants while meeting the teaching needs of the department,” it added.