By Md. Ali, TwoCircles.net
The suicide of a Dalit research scholar in University of Hyderabad and the recent clash between different caste based groups in Dr. Ambedkar Law College in Chennai has brought the issue of discrimination against Dalits in the Higher education in to focus because according to the media reports the caste based discrimination against the Dalits was at the root of both the incidents.
At this juncture when India is touted to be the emerging superpower, it is a question worth asking that even after sixty years of independence, does the discrimination against the Dalits in Higher education or for that matter in the Indian society still exist.
If yes what exactly are the overt and covert ways in which the unholy discrimination against the historically marginalized group goes on in the universities which are supposedly sacred houses of knowledge.
One may say that the caste based discrimination in its fossilized forms may be there only in the rural India but it seems that the universities have virtually become the laboratories for the prejudices against the SCs and STs.
Posters by competing student organizations in JNU, New Delhi. Photo by Joe Athialy
TwoCircles.net talked to some of the Dalit students of history in Patna and Magadh Universities. Initially hesitant to talk about discrimination faced by them in the universities, what came forth subsequently was their anger and frustration at the fact that castiesm is well entrenched in the pillars and institutions of higher education.
They alleged that there is a well planned discrimination at work in the academia.
One of them Prakash pointed out that “when we (SC and ST) didn’t used to study then they (people from upper caste) used to say that we won’t study. But now when we have started doing excellent in our respective fields, they have devised plans to stop us from entering the educated, cultural and powerful class.”
From instance he pointed out that ‘our teachers don’t want us to do Ph.D. because it would enable us to become a faculty member and sit and talk to them on an equal footing. So they think that it is better if they don’t let us do our PhDs itself. That is why we have cleared our Pre Research Tests (PRT) 2-4 years back but haven’t yet been able to enroll because of the alleged lack of vacancy under any of the faculty who could take us as his or her research scholar.’
They pointed out that whenever they meet the faculty members and request them to take them under their supervision for their research they reply them that there is no vacancy. But this is not at all the truth. Because whenever students of their own caste come to them they easily take them under their supervision the SC students alleged.
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There are some instance that when their supervisors agree to guide the SC and ST students but in that case they ask from the candidate half of his or her stipends which the SC and ST students are entitled to get from Rajiv Gandhi Foundation.
The caste based discrimination in the higher education is so strong that not only the SC and ST students but even the teachers belonging to these communities are at the receiving end.
TwoCircles.net talked to Dr. Phulo Paswan, a dalit scholar and also the Chairperson of Department of Maithili, Patna College, Patna University.
As a person who himself has faced the caste-based discrimination at various turning points of his academic career Dr. Paswan pointed out that academic citadels are among those few places where the caste discrimination has been unscrupulously practiced.
He pointed out that the caste based discrimination has been a very much part and parcel of the higher education precisely because it has been also an integral part of the Indian social life so much so that it has got if not legal, then the social legitimacy.
Caste plays a very important part in the appointment of people right from the top most in the academic hierarchy, vice chancellor to that of principal, head of the departments and lecturers Dr. Paswan added.
He further said that ‘if you belong to upper caste then after your appointment as lecturer very soon you will be appointed as examiner, and moderator and you will get promotion easily but if you are from SC or ST then you will be at the receiving end.’
Recounting his own experiences he said that on September 1, 2004 while he was attending a meeting DN Jha, the contemporary Controller of Examination of Patna University verbally abused and assaulted him asking him how dare he a Dalit sit in a meeting with people of upper caste.
Although Mr. Paswan filed an FIR but there hasn’t been any action against him yet.
He pointed out that it has been many years since he has been teaching. He feels that there is a monopoly of upper caste people because of which an unsaid law is there that no member of the SC or ST communities will be engaged in the confidential works in the university like setting of question, examination work etc.
Also informed that there are many ways through which the discrimination could have been countered. And most important of them is by filling up all the vacancies reserved for the SC and ST.
But somehow or the other the SC and ST vacancies haven’t been filled up yet in any departments.
He criticized the upper class Dalits saying that once they become a part of the upper class they don’t consider themselves as Dalits and distances themselves from the problems faced by their communities, although it is ironical that even in the upper class they are hardly accepted as non Dalits.
Recently the University Grant Commission (UGC) directed all the educational institutions to constitute an SC and ST cell which will look into their grievances and supervise the proper implementation of schemes meant for them.
But TCN came to know that in Bihar for instance there is hardly any university which has constituted the SC and ST cell. For instance Patna and Magadh universities haven’t yet constituted the cell.
What is the situation in the universities which are supposed to be more ‘enlightened’?
Arihant belongs to ST category and is doing MA in the School of Languages (SL) from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi.
He pointed out that “of course the caste based discrimination does exist even here in this university also which is supposed to be the one of the best centers of learning in India. But he also added that the discrimination is not on the scale on which it is prevalent in the other parts of India in Bihar for instance.
“The caste based discrimination is more subtle here. It is particularly prevalent in the departments on which saffron inclined faculties have penetrated. For instance during the NDA regime it successfully managed to put all the RSS sympathizers on the influential position in the university.
TCN talked to the vice chancellor of Patna University, Shyam Lal, who is also a Dalit and is supposed to be one of the prominent Dalit sociologists who is credited with coining the term ‘Dalitisation”
In a free and candid chat he said that it is very unfortunate that even after sixty years of independence the caste based discrimination in India is still prevalent.
But he also pointed out that one has to understand that the caste based discrimination in the higher education is mere an extension of the discrimination which is being practiced in the society and it gets its legitimacy in the society first.
Expressing his apprehensions he said that a very disturbing thing to be found in the higher education is that the feeling of ‘we’ verses ‘they’ is maintained between the upper caste and SC and ST .
The root cause of the discrimination is the attitude and the feudal mindset of the upper caste people which their modern education couldn’t dispel. And it will take time for them to change their attitude.
The other reason for the discrimination is the provision of reservation itself. Had the government empowered and developed the SCs and STs enough they would not have needed affirmative actions like the provision of reservation Mr. Lal added.
But the fact is that the government has completely failed in that because of which the affirmative actions like reservations for the SCs and STs becomes necessary.
TCN asked Mr. Shyam Lal that in this situation what is the solution to root out the caste based discrimination.
He said that any one step won’t suffice to root out this historical and complicated problem. It needs a multi-pronged strategy which includes the government the political class and the civil society to come together and think about it.
TCN asked the SC and ST research scholars that what is the solution?
‘They have to change their mindset because unlike the popular perception the path has never been easy for us. It is full of struggle. In fact at least socially the reservation has in many ways made our path very difficult. We have been ostracized by people of upper caste’