SC-ST-OBC faculty proportion only 18 per cent in seven IITs

The proportion of faculty members from SC, ST, and OBC communities in the country's seven prestigious IIT institutions is only 18 per cent, while a total of 49.5 per cent of posts are reserved for these categories. According to a report by Dainik Bhaskar, these figures demonstrate a large gap between reservation rules and actual representation.

According to information obtained through an RTI by IIT Bombay alumnus Pranav Jivan P., the situation at IIT Kharagpur is most concerning. Out of a total 781 faculty members at the Kharagpur institution, there are only 68 members from these categories, which constitutes 8.7 per cent of the total number. Under the Central Educational Institutions Act, 2019, 15 per cent of faculty posts are reserved for SC, 7.5 per cent for ST, and 27 per cent for OBC, yet the representation of these categories in the institutions remains much lower.

The report also revealed that these posts do not remain vacant due to a lack of candidates. Out of the total applications received for teacher recruitment starting from 2025 at IIT Kharagpur, 48 per cent of the applications were made by candidates from these same reserved categories. However, allegations have also surfaced that these reserved posts are not being filled by the institutions on the pretext of not finding suitable candidates.

Amidst these statistics, serious allegations of caste discrimination have also emerged at IIT Bombay. Following the suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Vakode on 18 September, allegations of discrimination were leveled against the institution. Sahil's father, Ravindra, alleged that his son had to face frequent caste-based discrimination in the institution. This is the third such case in IIT Bombay this year, while it is said that a total of nine such cases have been recorded across all IITs in the country. According to the Global IIT Alumni Support Group, a total of 160 IIT students have committed suicide in the last 20 years.

Concerning information has also emerged regarding the mental health of students. At IIT Kharagpur, only one mental health expert is working for 1,136 students, whereas according to UGC norms, there should be one expert per 500 students. Following Sahil's suicide case, IIT Bombay has removed ceiling fans from the campus and hostels and has decided to install wall-mounted fans in their place. According to sources, discussions regarding changing the fans had started after the death of a student in the month of July.