Coordination of Science and Technology Institutes' Student Association issues statement saying premier institutes of India have miserably failed to understand the experiences of students, especially from marginalised sections
It has been almost a month since Akshay Kamble, a Badlapur boy, who was studying at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kanpur, went missing. While police investigation continues and his family awaits news, a statement issued by the Coordination of Science and Technology Institutes' Student Association (COSTISA) on Tuesday evening has sparked a controversy. The students' body has alleged that premier institutes of India have miserably failed to understand the experiences of students, especially from marginalised sections of society, and no precautionary measures or strict actions have been taken to avoid such incidents.
Akshay Kamble celebrates his birthday. File pic
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The student body demands that culprits responsible for ragging Akshay be booked under the Atrocities Act. The statement by COSTISA reads, "It is common knowledge that SC/ST students studying in IITs have to face both open and hidden forms of ridicule, harassment and discrimination. JEE rank, accent, dressing sense, etc become markers of caste in these institutions. The meritocratic arguments against reservations by upper caste students and faculty members work towards wilting the self-confidence of students coming from poor social and economic backgrounds, who begin to see themselves as undeserving of an IIT academic life."
Akshay Kamble
When mid-day reached out to the Ministry of Human Resource Development, R Subrahmanyam, special secretary for Technical Education, stating that he hasn't seen the statement yet, responded saying, "I must say that empathetic response to the issues of socially disadvantaged students is a mandate of the ministry to all institutions. In the last year and half, several proactive measures have been taken to support students from disadvantaged communities including mentorship, pal system, economic assistance, counselling system etc."
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