Bengaluru- A significant controversy has erupted at Bangalore University, where ten Dalit professors have warned to resign from their administrative roles, alleging systemic caste-based discrimination in the allocation of statutory positions and denial of service-related benefits.

The faculty members, who have served in key administrative posts alongside their academic duties for several years, claim they are being sidelined and relegated to mere “in-charge” roles, which they argue diminishes their authority and deprives them of earned leave privileges.

The teachers allege that they are not getting their due respect, their due promotions and the positions what they actually deserve in the university.

As per media reports, in a letter dated July 2, addressed to Vice-Chancellor Prof. Dr. Jayakara Shetty, the professors have outlined their grievances. They allege that the university’s practice of assigning them “in-charge” designations instead of full statutory roles is a deliberate attempt to undermine their authority. Additionally, they claim the university has stopped providing earned leave encashment or compensation for their administrative work without explanation, despite their repeated complaints being ignored.

The professors’ letter emphasizes that their protest is not only about individual grievances but also against what they describe as “systemic exclusion and denial of legitimate benefits” for Dalit faculty members. They have issued a one-week ultimatum, threatening to resign en masse if their demands for fair treatment and adherence to anti-discrimination policies are not met.

This development has sparked a political firestorm in Karnataka. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashok Gowda criticized the Congress-led state government under Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for ill treating the Dalits and calling the alleged discrimination an “insult to the Constitution of India.” He stated that the government has failed to ensure respect and equitable treatment for Dalit faculty members.

The professors’ allegations align with broader concerns about caste-based discrimination in Indian academia. Earlier in 2024, a Dalit associate professor at IIM Bangalore, Dr. Gopal Das, faced similar issues, with the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement confirming caste bias, including denial of opportunities and public caste disclosure.

It is not only in Karnataka that the academicians have alleged caste discrimination. Recently, Dr. V. Ravi Varma, a Dalit assistant professor (contractual) at Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University's Dairy Technology College in Andhra Pradesh had also written a letter to President Droupadi Murmu in May, alleging that despite performing the same duties as his permanent colleagues, he was paid a fraction of their salary, his contract renewed every six months with a two-to-three-day break, a tactic commonly used to deny contractual workers job security.

In another similar incident, Dr. M. Venkatesh Naik, an Assistant Professor from the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community at Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology (MNNIT) Allahabad, had exposed shocking incidents of caste-based discrimination, institutional neglect, and systematic suppression of his career spanning nearly eight years.

Dr. Naik, a dedicated faculty member in the Department of Electrical Engineering, joined MNNIT Allahabad on November 30, 2012, under the ST quota. However, since 2017, he claims to have faced relentless caste-based harassment, professional sabotage, and administrative indifference.