Police on Saturday filed a case against the director and seven professors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM) for allegedly discriminating against a Dalit associate professor on the basis of his caste.
On Friday, a case was filed under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against the director and several IIMB faculty members in response to the associate professor’s complaint. “We received the complaint and filed a case. However, those named in the FIR claimed that they obtained a stay order from the court the same evening. But we are yet to receive the order,” a senior officer said.
The Social Welfare Department instructed the state police chief to file a lawsuit in response to the aforementioned associate professor’s complaint, based on an investigation report by the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE). According to police, Gopal Das, an associate professor at IIMB, claimed that he was denied equal opportunities because eight people purposefully disclosed and published his caste at the workplace.
In a previous statement, the IIMB asserted that rather than harassment or discrimination, Das has received all forms of support from the Institute since his recruitment in 2018, beginning with his applying for the position of Assistant Professor but being offered the role of Associate Professor based on his qualifications and experience.
Since joining IIMB, he has reportedly received substantial incentives for his research and teaching, in addition to his associate professor income as determined by the Government of India’s 7th central pay commission. He has been assigned to responsibilities such as Chairperson of the Institutional Review Board, Member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and Member of the Career Development Services Committee.
“He has taught courses of his choice across different academic programs of the Institute. Dr. Das’s allegations of discrimination against the Institute and its faculty arose only when his application for promotion was put on hold because of complaints of harassment lodged by some doctoral students against him. An enquiry conducted by IIMB as per the rules, with the committee including a reputed academic from the SC category from an eminent institution, found that the students’ complaints were justified,” it stated.
“IIMB remains committed to fostering an inclusive academic community and will continue to uphold its legacy of excellence and integrity and will take appropriate action in consultation with legal experts,” the statement added.
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