BENGALURU: The director, dean, and six other faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB) have been accused of violating the constitutional rights of minority students and staff, with serious allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment.
These charges stem from a report, submitted to the principal secretary of the Social Welfare Department of Karnataka on November 26, by the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), which confirms that caste atrocities were committed by IIMB’s leadership, including director Dr Rishikesha T Krishnan and dean Dr Dinesh Kumar. On December 9, the department instructed City Police Commissioner to register an FIR against the accused. However, action is yet to be taken.
The probe was triggered by a complaint from Gopal Das, associate professor of Marketing, who joined IIMB in 2018. It is said that although Das belongs to the Dalit community, he never sought reservation benefits and applied for the post based on his qualifications and merit alone. Recognised as one of the top 2% professors worldwide by Stanford University for five consecutive years, Das has been vocal about addressing caste-based discrimination within the institution.
As per the DCRE’s report, the issue is beyond Das and it accuses Krishnan and Kumar of publicising Das’ caste identity through mass emails, which contributed to creating a discriminatory and hostile work environment. The DCRE also noted that IIMB failed to establish a grievance redressal mechanism for SCs/STs members, as mandated by law.
The issue came to light after Das’ promotion was put on hold due to harassment complaints made by doctoral students. IIMB initiated an inquiry into the matter, which included a committee member from the SC category. The inquiry confirmed that the students’ complaints were valid.
IIMB, in a statement, claimed that Das received significant research and teaching incentives, including key leadership roles such as chairperson of the Institutional Review Board, member of the Career Development Services Committee, and member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. He has been allowed to teach courses of his choice across various academic programmes.
IIMB asserts that the delay in his promotion was due to the need to address harassment complaints, following standard institutional procedures. The allegations of caste-based discrimination only surfaced after his promotion was delayed, said IIMB.
The institute maintains his promotion was withheld as part of the regular academic review process and not due to personal bias. IIMB said it has provided all evidence to the DCRE, though it has yet to receive a copy of DCRE report.
It also clarified that Diversity and Inclusion Grievance Redressal Committee at IIMB dismissed Das’ allegations of harassment and discrimination, calling them unfounded.