The South Asian: Growing Dalit Suicides

April 30, 2011

Growing Dalit Suicides Anoop Kheri - in presenting a list of recent suicides among Dalit students in premier Indian Institutes - also asks whether there is a growing and overt discrimination against them.

    * Here is the list of the Dalit students who have committed suicide in last four years.

    * This is by no means an exhaustive list but covers only those cases which we were able to document and where parents and relatives have raised their voices and had accused the institutions of caste discrimination against their children that led to their suicides.

    * We are sure that the actual numbers of Dalit students committing suicide in country’s premier institutions in last four years will be much higher.

   1. M. Shrikant, final year, B.Tech, IIT Bombay, 1st Jan 07
   2. Ajay S. Chandra, integrated PhD, Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore – 26 Aug, 07
   3. Jaspreet Singh, final year MBBS, Government Medical College, Chandigarh, 27 Jan 08.
   4. Senthil Kumar, PHD, School of Physics, University of Hyderabad – 23 Feb 08
   5. Prashant Kureel, first year, B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 19 April, 08
   6. G. Suman, final year, M.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 2nd Jan, 09
   7. Ankita Veghda, first year, BSc Nursing, Singhi Institute of Nursing, Ahmedabad, 20 April, 09
   8. D Syam Kumar, first year B.Tech, Sarojini Institute of Engineering and Technology, Vijayawada, 13 Aug, 09
   9. S. Amravathi, national level young woman boxer, Centre of Excellence, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh,Hyderabad, 4th Nov, 09
10. Bandi Anusha, B.Com final year, Villa Mary College, Hyderabad, 5th Nov, 09
11. Pushpanjali Poorty, first year, MBA, Visvesvaraiah Technological University, Bangalore, 30th Jan, 10
12. Sushil Kumar Chaudhary, final year MBBS, Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (formerly KGMC), Lucknow, 31 Jan, 10.
13. Balmukund Bharti, final year MBBS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 3rd March, 10
14. JK Ramesh, second year, BSc, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 1st July, 10
15. Madhuri Sale, final year B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 17th November, 10
16. G. Varalakshmi, B.Tech first year, Vignan Engineering College, Hyderabad, 30 Jan, 2011
17. Manish Kumar, IIIrd Year B.Tech, IIT Roorkee, 13 Feb, 11
18. Linesh Mohan Gawle, PhD, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, 16 April, 11

The large number of Dalit and Adivasi students committing suicide clearly indicates the wide-spread prevalence of caste discrimination in the Indian education system, which perceives them as ‘non-meritorious’, not fit to belong there.

When a student from the lowest strata of society fights against all odds to prove her merit and reach the best educational institutions in India, are those institutions proving themselves meritorious enough to recognize her worth, to accommodate, let alone nurture her aspirations?

When a Dalit or Adivasi student becomes an engineer, doctor, business graduate or scientist, it should be a cause of pride for not just the family or the community but for the entire nation.

Instead, why do our nation and its educational institutions reward their merit with discrimination, humiliation, violence and death?

The time has come for Dalit and Adivasi students to speak up, share their experiences and bring their struggles in the public domain, so that we can fight together to make our campuses caste discrimination-free.

Our communities cannot afford to lose our bright, young hopes like Linesh and Balmukund, in the hands of an insensitive and casteist educational system.

Our documentary 'The Death of Merit' documents the horors of caste-discrimination that is prevalent in AIIMS, New Delhi that resulted in the suicide of one very bright Dalit student Balmukund Bharti who was from very humble background.

Please watch the documentary at

http://thedeathofmeritinindia.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/%e2%80%98the-death-of-merit%e2%80%99-a-documentary/ Posted by collective at April 30, 2011 03:12 PM

Comments

ARCHIVED ARTICLES