Duplicitous Discrimination: Caste, not merit, is the defining idiom in IIT-M, former faculty

Former Indian Institute of Technology - Madras faculty, Vipin Veetil stirred a storm when he resigned from Humanities and Social Sciences Department alleging caste-based discrimination at the institute since his joining in March 2019. In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Veetil explains caste, not merit, is the defining idiom in IIT-M. Within a year of joining the IIT-M, Vipin Veetil, who had his studies abroad including at the prestigious Sorbonne University, was made to realise that he is the 'Other'. Vipin who has written to the National Backward Classes Commission and the Union Education Minister, seeking a fair probe into the discrimination against him, blames the recruitment policy at the IIT-M which filters out OBC and SC/ST candidates on the pretext of non-availability of talent. As the result, there is no inclusiveness. Besides the implementation of reservation in faculty recruitment, as per the Constitutional mandate, the appointment of the next director from the OBC or SC/ST community would be a small beginning towards positive change, he explains in the interview.