Activists protest against alleged caste discrimination at IIM Bangalore; institute rejects charges

The protesters accused IIM-B of failing to implement constitutional reservation policies and claimed that the institute’s administration had neglected its duty to safeguard diversity and inclusion. They also alleged systemic caste-based discrimination and harassment of faculty members who raised issues of representation and equity.

The gathering was marked by calls for accountability, with demands that the institution fully implement reservations for SC, ST and OBC students, faculty and staff. Protesters also sought the establishment of grievance redressal cells for marginalised communities and an institutional acknowledgment of caste-based discrimination. Furthermore, they demanded the resignation of IIM-B Director Rishikesha T Krishnan, accusing him of violating reservation policies and harassing faculty members advocating for inclusion.

Congress general secretary B S Shivanna addressed the protest, emphasising the urgent need for constitutional guarantees to be upheld in institutions of national importance like IIM-B. He called for collective action to combat systemic injustice.

The protest concluded with a resolution to continue the struggle until their demands are met. Leaders announced that the participating organisations would jointly submit representations to the President, the prime minister, and the Union education minister, seeking their intervention in the matter.

IIM Bangalore rejects allegations

In response, IIM-Bangalore issued a statement rejecting the allegations. The institute said it had long prioritised creating an inclusive environment and denied any discrimination against individuals from marginalised communities. It highlighted the establishment of a Diversity and Inclusion Cell and a Diversity and Inclusion Grievance Redressal Committee to address grievances and ensure a discrimination-free atmosphere.

The statement said, “IIM-B had been implementing reservation policies for faculty positions following the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act, 2019. Over ten faculty members from SC, ST, and OBC categories had joined the institute since 2019 through special recruitment efforts.”

The institute emphasised that employees were free to raise concerns as long as they adhered to service rules.

The protest also comes months after Gopal Das, an associate professor at IIM-B, accused the institute’s director and seven other employees of subjecting him to caste-based discrimination—a claim “categorically and strongly” denied by the institute.

The matter came to light after Gopal Das on May 15 wrote a letter to Social Welfare Department Principal Secretary P Manivannan detailing the allegations. Das, who joined IIM-B in 2018, had raised a complaint with President Droupadi Murmu during her visit to the institute in January this year. Based on directions from the President’s Office, the state government’s Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement initiated an inquiry into the matter in March.

Additionally, Prof Deepak Malghan, an award-winning scholar, was “demoted” by IIM-B over his social media posts that alleged caste discrimination at the institute. The institute also issued a gag order against Malghan citing violation of its service policy. While the Karnataka High Court has ordered a stay on the move, activists have urged IIM-B to withdraw all past strictures against Malghan.

Malghan, who has often raised issues regarding IIMs and IITs, recently posted an open letter to the IIM-B director. He said the institute had lost “track of its recent commitment to creating an inclusive environment for Bahujan faculty, staff, and students”.

Malghan, along with other IIM-B faculty members, was a signatory to an open letter that called on corporate India to “defund hate speech”.