Resignation of IIT Madras teacher citing caste discrimination creates uproar
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Chennai: An Assistant Professor of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has resigned from the premier institution citing caste discrimination. Vipin Puthiyedathveetil who hails from Payyannnur in North Kerala has been teaching at Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) of IIT Madras since March 2019.
The resignation letter he sent by mail to the authorities was posted on social media platforms has gone viral. Vipin in the letter said that he had faced caste discrimination even in his department of Humanities and that OBC's and SC/ST teachers are facing huge discrimination at the premier institute.
"There were multiple instances of discrimination and I shall be pursuing appropriate actions to address the matter," Vipin who was an Economics faculty in the Humanities department said in the letter. He also accused that "Individuals in position of power irrespective of their claimed political affiliation and gender were involved in discrimination."
Adding that he was moving to another institution primarily because of the discrimination he faced at the humanities and social sciences department since joining the institute in March 2019, he said that he would take appropriate action to address multiple instances of caste discrimination
The Assistant Professor in his mail has encouraged people in the institution to step up and raise complaints with the grievances committee at the institute and even with the courts.
In the resignation letter, he suggested the institute to set up a committee to study the experience of the SC and OBC faculty. The letter also suggested that the suggested committee should have members from the SC/ST Commission and OBC Commission. He added that the panel should also have psychologists to study the experiences of faculty members from these communities.
People across the spectrum of writers, opinion makers, and students have commented on the shocking mail of the Assistant Professor which has gone viral.
"This is shocking. Action has to be taken in this and youths cutting across caste, creed, religion, and politics should be provided equal opportunity in all areas in this country and our Constitution guarantees that", Writer and Poet Sabin Iqbal was quoted as saying in an IANS report.
"Why people are discriminating against a bright young educated professor in a premier institution of this country. A commission comprising OBC, SC/ST academics, and lawmakers must be set up and a proper study should be conducted on this," Iqbal, the author of Cliffhangers and Shamal Days added.
Veetil was not available for comment as per IANS report. Veetil has a PhD in economics from the George Mason University and was a postdoctoral fellow in Paris, according to the faculty page on IIT-M's website. He completed his bachelor's degree from the University of Delhi in 2006.
Meanwhile, citing a statement from IIT Madras, a Hindustan Times report said that the institute has no comments to make on the issue. According to the statement quoted, IIT Madras said that "any complaint received by the Institute from employees and students will be attended promptly through the established process of redressing grievances."
Raising the issue to national level by demanding a National Commission for Backward Classes probe into the alleged caste discrimination, S Venkatesan, a Communist Party of India (Marxist) Parliament member from Tamil Nadu, on Friday tweeted . "Why is IIT shrouded in secrecy," .
It may be noted that Fathima Latheef, a student of Humanities at IIT Madras had committed suicide in her hostel room last year alleging that she was discriminated against by the college due to her religion. In her suicide note, she had named a professor of IIT Madras regarding discrimination. A CBI investigation is ongoing on her suicide.