Caste bias on campus stirs minister into action

Hindustan Times 13 February 2016

The government has called a meeting of the vice-chancellors of all central universities this month to discuss how to end possible discrimination on campus against socially disadvantaged students, writes Neelam Pandey for Hindustan Times.

The meeting between Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani and the heads of 46 universities on 18 February comes after the suicide by Dalit PhD student Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad last month, which triggered a national outcry over alleged social discrimination on campus.

The opposition is expected to raise Vemula’s death in the budget session of parliament beginning 23 February, and Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya’s alleged role in prompting Hyderabad University authorities to suspend Vemula, a Dalit student leader. Following Vemula’s death, Irani had promised steps to ensure there was no social discrimination in universities.
Full report on the Hindustan Times site

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