'Casteism in universities breaking Dalit hearts'

HYDERABAD: Caste discrimination in universities will give rise to even bigger social movements across the country, said Umar Khalid, one of the founders of Bhagat Singh Ambedkar Student Organisation (BASA), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Delhi.

“Suppressing freedom to express opinions and intolerance towards diversity of opinions and ideologies in universities has become the order of the day under the NDA regime. University of Hyderabad scholar Rohith Vemula was a victim of caste discrimination in universities. But suppressive forces should know that Rohith’s death has only given birth to a mass movement, shaking the conscience of the whole nation,” said Umar Khalid, speaking at ‘Remembering Balagopal,’ a meeting held in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Umar slammed Roopanwal Commission’s report which said that Rohith Vemula was not a Dalit, terming it another brazen instance of caste discrimination. Umar delivered a talk on ‘The patriotism of defending difference and dissent’. “Whoever comes up with a different opinion or ideology is branded as anti-national by the BJP and its supporters. Even differences in lifestyle are not accepted. Either JNU students or UoH students or Una Dalits asserting their identity or minorities and other communities eating beef, they are all branded as anti-nationals. But protecting and defending difference and dissent is the real patriotism,” he said.

KY Ratnam, head, Centre for Ambedkar Studies, UoH, lamented that instead of welcoming Dalit students and transforming them into scholars, universities are crushing their dreams and aspirations. “Dalit students are coming to universities to become something else and pursue a better profession from that of their parents but upper caste administrators are reminding them of their caste and profession and breaking their hearts, saying that they belong to ‘labour’-class and not to ‘intellectual’ class. Suicides of UoH students Senthil Kumar, Balaraju, Rohith Vemula are results of discrimination,” Ratnam asserted, drawing attention to casteism.

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