India’s elite institutions have been a ‘death trap’ for students on the margins, particularly SC-ST-OBCs. The recent suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode has enraged students, but the tragic part is that the entire debate has become polarised. IIT faculty suggested that Sahil used his mobile phone for ‘copying’ during the examinations. His family and other students accuse the professor of using a casteist slur against Sahil and say that he has been systematically harassed.
India’s varna vyavastha actually controls our education system, and at every step there are Dronacharyas to punish the students. Now, a Dalit student or, for that matter, an Adivasi student, comes from very difficult circumstances. Yes, some of them who make it might have their parents working in government services, but that does not take away the pressure to not only prove their worth but also remain prone to discrimination just because of their identity.
The suicide cases of Dalit-Adivasi students in these elite institutions are not isolated incidents. Rohit Vemula’s institutional murder ignited Dalit-Adivasi-OBC students, but slowly our institutions have shut down all forms of protest. Asking questions is an offence. Students can’t even protest against wrongs done to them for fear of being targeted, so most of the time, even when protests happen, young scholars are just part of the crowd, hiding from the spying eyes of administrations that wait for any pretext to act against them.
After Rohit Vemula’s death, an important point was raised about the mechanism through which SC-ST students can share their grievances and get good counselling. There is no mechanism except for some formalities that are based on ‘facts’ and are not really interested in the issue with their heart in it. Such ‘dry’ committees are only meant to provide legitimacy to the action taken against the students. The continuous erosion of student voices and forums inside the campuses has resulted in further isolation of SC-ST students. The problem grows as they face not only their caste identity issue but also the challenge of being immigrants to a big city where no one would listen to them. These heartless cities have no time for anyone sharing their pain and agony.
In the last twenty years, 171 students have committed suicide in various IITs of the country, as per a report in The Hindustan Times. The data is between 2006 and 2026, in which, in the first half, 51 students committed suicide, while in the second half, it jumped to 120. It means that things have become increasingly difficult for students from SC-ST-OBC communities as the campuses become more corporatised and state assistance continues to disappear. So, with the merit noise, we just want the state to withdraw from these institutions so that they become the fiefdom of the Brahmin-Bania corporate class who enjoy government subsidies and then fly away to the United States and Europe to get big, fat assignments.
How Caste, Merit and Privilege Shape India’s Elite Institutions
We suffer from a big disease of ‘merit’, which has become the biggest strength of the hierarchical forces. Our institutions have systematically denied diversity by invoking the doctrine of ‘merit’ to keep the Brahmanical hegemony intact, which is being challenged every day by the rising aspirations of scholars and students from the margins.
I have always maintained that our corporate sector is the symbol of our caste disease. Globally, it was felt that capitalism would bring liberalism and modernity to our boardrooms, but India’s corporate sector is the domain of particular jaatis who abhor the idea of diversity in their boardrooms. Educational institutions, particularly at the elite level, have now become their biggest target, as they want to kill the aspirations of the vast majority of India’s marginalised so that their boardrooms remain the sole domain of ‘vegetarian’ Vaidiks.
While it is also true that the suicides in these institutions are not merely those of SC-ST-OBC students, and different forms of pressure have resulted in suicide by others too, the problem with students from the margins is that they have to face a hostile administration as well as an equally unfamiliar environment, now with the growth of cultural prejudices.
A couple of years back, IIT Bombay’s student mess in the campus hostel had clearly drawn the line between the ‘vegetarians’ and non-vegetarian groups. Clearly, such incidents make students vulnerable to prejudices, particularly by academics; a majority of them these days are categorically associating with the ruling dispensation and its Brahmanical cultural value system.
When Campus Culture Reinforces Caste and Cultural Prejudices
Just a few days back, we saw a poster put up by IIT Mandi suggesting that the job of a Shudra was to ‘serve’ the other three varnas. While IIT Mandi dissociated itself from it after the issue was blown out, it is also a fact that the director was associated with ISKCON and teaches a ‘three-credit Gita Course’ at IIT Mandi, as per The Hindu.
IITs are also engaged more in studies like Gau Mutra and Ayurveda than in meaningful engagement on other issues. More and more discussions and ‘research’ are happening on the ‘cultural’ side to ensure that all our Vedantic treatises are termed as ‘scientific’.
When Merit Becomes a Barrier for Marginalised Students
So, the system and the environment around it have become more and more Brahmanical, which ensures that those who disagree with it or are uncomfortable with it might not even be able to pursue their studies.
The Prime Minister speaks volumes on Babasaheb Ambedkar, but at university campuses, his thoughts are unwanted. He is only allowed on his birthday and death anniversary, but if student groups want to organise seminars or discussions on Ambedkar’s thoughts, then it is a difficult choice unless the administration thinks it could be beneficial for their political masters.
Why Ambedkar’s Ideas Still Struggle Inside Elite Campuses
The elite institutions in India are actually collapsing. They are being pushed towards privatisation so that quality education becomes out of bounds for the common person. The environment around these institutions is already corporatised, where ‘vegetarianism’ is another quality of being part of it. You don’t need to say things. Your environment ensures that students on the margins hide their food habits and political perceptions and ideologies.
After Rohit Vemula’s death, the government said it would work on institutional mechanisms, and internal committees would be formed to deal with caste discrimination issues, but I am not sure whether such mechanisms are available in our IITs. Even if they are there, the questions are: who is part of these committees, and what is the representation of SC-ST-OBCs in these committees?
India’s Elite Institutions Cannot Survive Without Diversity and Inclusion
There is no point in blaming this or that. The fact is that there are serious cases of violations in our elite institutions, and the government and these institutions must act to ensure that the environment there is broader, inclusive and reflects the cultural diversity of India. Attempting to create a homogeneous group from these elite institutions will only hamper their credibility.
Meanwhile, we ask IIT Bombay to form an inquiry into this suicide and should not attempt to justify the act. Let the administration come out with a proper mechanism to deal with such cases so that they are not repeated, and the students get justice. Sahil Wakode’s family deserve justice.
It is also important that while mental health cases are important to deal with, we can’t hide the caste discrimination angle prevalent in our elite institutions. It is therefore essential to provide enough safety and protection mechanisms for SC-ST-OBC students, apart from taking strict action against those committing such violations.
