In the notice issued to Subhasis Chowdhary, the ST Commission has said that if the report is not submitted within the stipulated time, it can exercise its powers as a civil court. file | Photo Credit: Prashant Vayadande
Months after launching an inquiry into the lack of mental health support for SC/ST students within the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay, the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) on Tuesday issued a 3-day ultimatum to the director of IIT- Bombay, has sought a detailed report on the action taken by the Institute to address the issue.
The ST commission, in a notice issued to Subhasish Chowdhary, has said that if the report is not submitted within the stipulated time, it may exercise its powers as a civil court to summon any and all concerned authorities in connection with the matter. Could
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The matter was probed by the NCST in June last year following a complaint by the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle at IIT Bombay about the lack of an SC/ST counselor at the campus’s student wellness center and the head counsellor’s public appearance. Holding anti-reservation sentiments.
The students attached a Facebook post of the head counselor from 2015, in which she is signing a public petition to remove caste-based reservation, questioning the merit of students entering elite institutions through reservation. Was. According to the complaint, the current issue was public and was available for viewing till last year.
The complaint states that such posts intimidate students and make them feel uncomfortable in seeking mental health counseling from the Student Wellness Center as a major part of the discrimination they faced on campus was due to anti-reservation sentiments . The students alleged that the administration chose to “ignore” their complaints against the head counsellor.
After taking up the matter, the NCST had issued a notice to the education ministry in November last year, seeking a report within 15 days. The commission has sought an explanation from the IIT-Bombay administration.
not sensitive
Study Circle, in its complaint, said that the existing counselors on campus are “not sensitive to understanding the social realities of caste, affecting students from SC/ST communities, inadequate to support them or at times, add to the trouble.” ,
Study Circle in its complaint to NCST said that an additional counseling schedule has been called brothersThe institute, founded by alumni, “deliberately excluded caste-based mental health issues from its website and programs”.
It added that despite several complaints, the program also did not address caste-based mental health issues in its ambit.
In the complaint, the students demanded that the NCST ensure the dismissal of the Head Counselor concerned; Directing IIT Bombay to appoint competent expert mental health professionals to deal with caste-based issues faced by students; And issue directions to conduct mandatory caste sensitization workshop for all employees, students and staff in the campus.
The student body also demanded that the NCST ensure specialist counselors with SC/ST/OBC representation in all IITs in the country.