IIT Bombay stops caste data disclosure in placements over discrimination claims

IIT Bombay

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has decided to discontinue the practice of collecting and sharing students' caste-related information with Public Sector Units (PSUs) during campus placements. This decision comes in the wake of allegations of caste-based discrimination in the placement process, which have sparked widespread debate and concern.

The issue came to light after Dheeraj Singh, an alumnus of IIT Kanpur and founder of a global alumni network supporting Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students, filed a complaint with the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) in 2023. Singh alleged that IIT Bombay and other premier institutions were enabling discriminatory practices during campus placements, particularly by sharing students'

caste data with recruiters. He argued that this practice could lead to bias against students from marginalized communities, even if they possessed comparable academic credentials.

In response to the complaint, the NCSC directed IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and the Ministry of Education to submit an action taken report within 15 days. Following this, IIT Bombay clarified that it had previously collected caste-related information to assist PSUs in verifying documents for reserved category positions. However, the institute emphasized that its placement office was not directly involved in this process and announced that the practice had been discontinued starting in 2024.

In its official statement, IIT Bombay explained that the collection of caste data was primarily intended to facilitate PSU recruitments, as these organisations are required to verify the eligibility of candidates applying for reserved positions. The institute maintained that its placement office did not play a role in gathering or sharing this information. However, it acknowledged that category profiling of students had occurred in the past, a practice that has now been halted.

The controversy over caste-based discrimination at IIT Bombay is not new. In 2023, the institute faced scrutiny following the tragic suicide of a first-year student. While an interim investigation report cited "deteriorating academic performance" as a possible cause, it found no direct evidence of caste-based discrimination. However, the student's family rejected these findings, alleging that caste bias played a role in the incident.

In the aftermath of the tragedy, IIT Bombay introduced anti-discrimination guidelines to promote inclusivity on campus. These measures include encouraging students to bond over shared interests such as sports and movies, rather than allowing social divisions to take root.