IIT Bombay faces scrutiny over stark lack of SC, ST and OBC faculty

Mumbai: IIT Bombay is facing fresh scrutiny over the glaringly low representation of Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST) and Other Backward Class (OBC) faculty, with new RTI data showing that the institute has no ST professor and only five SC and six OBC professors among 412 faculty members at that rank.

The figures, obtained through an RTI application filed by All India OBC Students Association chairperson Gowd Kiran Kumar, show that representation remains particularly poor at the senior-most academic level. Among 363 associate and assistant professors, there are 29 SC, eight ST and 35 OBC faculty members. The institute also has 1,225 sanctioned teaching posts, of which 450 are vacant.

The latest figures have raised further questions because an earlier RTI response obtained by Kumar in February had recorded 33 SC faculty members across the three ranks, along with one ST associate professor, seven ST assistant professors and 41 OBC faculty members. The September data, therefore, indicates only a marginal increase in SC representation despite recruitment efforts targeting reserved categories.

The disclosures come as IIT Bombay remains under intense scrutiny following the death of 20-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode on September 18. His parents have alleged caste-based harassment and discrimination, while the institute has denied receiving any such complaint from him. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death, and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes has also initiated an inquiry.

The coincidence has intensified questions over representation and institutional accountability at one of India’s premier technical institutes.