Two parallel protests were carried out at IIT-Madras
Two parallel protests were carried out at IIT-Madras today, one by the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle , who are demanding unconditional recognition before they come for any talks with the authorities of the institution. The other was by Dalit students - some of them belonging to APSC - who allege that they are being "victimised" by right wing elements.
The response of APSC - which had been temporarily derecognised - comes day after they were called for talks by the IIT-M authorities. The talks, however, remained inconclusive.
During Tuesday's protests, the APSC members, mostly Dalits, carried placards alleging right wing domination. The presence of lower castes at the institute, they claim, is minimal, comprising a meagre 2%.
"We are fighting against Brahminical hegemony and the autocratic move by the human resources development ministry to stifle our freedom of expression," said S Abhinav, one of the students.
Though the IIT-M management claims the study group was penalised for using the institution's name for publicity without permission, students say the association was targeted for criticising Prime Minister Modi and his government's policies.
The students also allege that IIT-M patronises student bodies with Hindutva agenda.
"IIT-M has many organisations, including Vivekananda study circle, Santhooran and Vande Matharam, which have been spreading pseudo-science and superstition here. No action has been taken against these," said Akil, another student.