Congress MP K Suresh demands steps to stop caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutes

New Delhi: Congress MP K Suresh on Thursday asked the government to take steps to stop caste-based discrimination in higher educational institutes.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Suresh said data reveals that around 13,500 students belonging to Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes have dropped out of central universities, IITs and IIMs in the last five years.

"The figures would be much higher in the coming year as discrimination against SC, ST and OBC students by faculty members have increased and intolerance is being promoted by the government," he said during a discussion on the Central Universities (Amendment) Bill, 2023, in the Lok Sabha.

The number of student suicides in IITs and IIMs was 33, while in higher educational institutes it was 122 between 2014 and 2021, he said and demanded that an effective mechanism against caste discrimination be established by the government.

Every university, IIT and IIM must have a dedicated body, with quasi-judicial powers, to deal with atrocities against backward communities, Suresh, an MP from Kerala, said.

"The government should take steps in preventing caste-based discrimination in higher educational campuses and ensure strict punishment for pushing students towards suicide," he said.