IIT Madras Assistant Professor quits job over alleged caste discrimination, resignation letter goes viral

IIT Madras Assistant Professor Vipin P Veetil has allegedly resigned from his job over the issue of caste discrimination at the institute.

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New Delhi: An Assistant Professor of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, Vipin P Veetil, has allegedly resigned from his post over the issue of caste discrimination in the prestigious institution. A resignation letter signed by Vipin P Veetil, who was an assistant professor in Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, is going viral on social media platforms. In the letter, Veetil revealed that he has faced discrimination from 'individuals in position of power irrespective of their claimed political affiliation and gender.' 

"I am leaving IIT Madras for another institution. One of the primary reasons for my leaving the Institute is the caste discrimination I have faced at the HSS department since my joining in March 2019. The discrimination came from individuals in position of power irrespective of their claimed political affiliations and gender,” the resignation letter read. 

“There were multiple specific instances of discrimination and I shall be pursuing appropriate actions to address the matter. One of the curious phenomena I've observed at the Institute is that the Bayesian prior among many is that caste-discrimination is rare occurrence. My own experience, and conversations with members of SC and OBC communities, suggests that the Bayesian prior is far from true," it added.  

At the end of his letter, Veetil has urged the people in his mail to stand up against the wrongdoings and raise the issue in front of the grievances committee at the institute or courts. He also added that the grievances committee set up by the institute should also have representation from SC/ ST Commission, OBC Commission and psychologists. 

Meanwhile, the Institute said it does not have a comment on the issue. It added that “Any complaint received by the Institute from employees and students is attended to promptly through the established process of redressing grievances”.