Over a dozen dalit professors in the prestigious Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi have alleged caste discrimination and have said that dalit professors, employees and students were being given step-motherly treatment by the administration.
A group of dalit professors held a press conference in Varanasi on Thursday in the N. Uddappa auditorium where they alleged that senior professors did not even allow dalit teachers and students to enter the laboratories.
Dr Mahesh Prasad Ahirwar, an associate professor in the history department, said that dalit students were also treated shabbily by teachers and administrative officers belonging to upper castes.
Prof. Sanjay Sonkar of the education department said that his colleague Prof. Shobhana was not being allowed to take her classes because she was a dalit. He claimed that dalit students were deliberately given low marks by senior professors and the research scholars were also discriminated against.
Prof. Lal Chandra Prasad of the BHU’s Agricultural Science Institute said that dalit teachers and students were subjected to offensive and abusive behaviour.
“Whenever we have complained, we have been under pressure to take back our complaints. Our research work is dumped or used by another student who belongs to upper castes,” he said.
A complaint in this regard has been lodged at the Lanka police station by one Harikesh Bahadur Singh against director R.P. Singh for “stealing” his research work and threatening him with dire consequences.
Prof. Singh, however, denies the allegations and said that he is being framed at the behest of some of his own colleagues.
The station officer of Lanka police station, Ved Prakash, said that the complaint had been received and investigations were on.
Associate professor Rahul Raj of the arts faculty said that they had sent letters highlighting their plight to the National Commission for SC/ST and also the National Commission for Women.
and were awaiting action.
He said that the top officials of the BHU were also apprised of the matter but had not initiated any action in the matter.