Dalit student's suicide at CUK triggers outrage, allegations of cover-up
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Pic: File photo of students staging a dharna at CUK Kalaburagi; Attendance sheets at CUK show a caste column
Kalaburagi: The alleged suicide of Jayasri Nayak, 20, a student from Odisha, has raised many questions about the educational atmosphere at Central University Karnataka (CUK) here.
As authorities broke the door of the room — where the body was found — without informing police, activists suspect efforts to destroy evidence. Since the student belonged to the Dalit community, casteism is also being suspected. Agitation regarding the death is getting traction by the day.
P Nandakumar, who was a student for 8 years from UG to PhD and was president of Ambedkar Vidyarthi Sanghatane at CUK, told TOI that atrocities against Dalit students have been ongoing in the varsity since its inception.
"However, there was space to agitate when a Dalit student committed suicide in 2017. For the past 3-4 years, even our right to protest has been suppressed. If we insist, an FIR is filed against us. It started in 2019 when Rahul, a student, questioned performing religious rituals on campus when the varsity is a secular place.
Earlier, the varsity's SC/ ST cell provided financial assistance of Rs 20,000 for Dalit students intending to present their papers at national and international platforms.
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Now, it has been stopped. Even the OBC cell is shut. So is the case with the book bank and computer facility for Dalit students preparing for competitive exams. Now, SC/ST researchers are forced to pay fees on a par with general students. A caste column was introduced in the attendance sheet. Though they announce in press releases that accommodation and food are free for SC/ ST students, rent and fees are collected. Only when we oppose it, it gets refunded.
Though Article 28/1 says there should not be any religious symbol in educational institutions, they have installed a Saraswati statue long before the installation of an Ambedkar statue. There are hundreds of cases to prove our allegations," he explained.
Dwarakanath CS, former chairman of Karnataka State Commission for Backward Classes, said he was prevented by security personnel from delivering a speech on Ambedkar last year.
"I'm told there have been clashes between Dalit students and the varsity management for years. When we visited the campus at the request of Dalit students, we just offered a garland to the Ambedkar statue but were not allowed to speak about him.
Many Dalit students shared that they are depressed by the casteist atrocities. Now, both the govt and the varsity management should consider the suicide of a Dalit student seriously," he said.
K Neela, a social activist in Kalaburagi, alleged that the varsity is turning anti-women and anti-minorities too in recent years.
When contacted, prof Battu Satyanarayana, CUK vice-chancellor, said: "The anti-women allegation is false. Girl students outnumber boy students in our varsity. We are providing all facilities to all students irrespective of caste and creed. During admission, we follow reservation rules.
It is our duty to provide equal opportunities to all. We have not introduced caste columns in attendance. We will ask caste and category only during the admission to follow the reservation system.
There is no caste-based discrimination in the campus. We are following UGC guidelines and norms specified by the Constitution."
Responding to the recent suicide case, the VC said they did not know the student's caste until it was raised. "Security personnel might have broken the room door assuming that she might be alive and needed immediate medical care. After learning about her death, we immediately informed the police, who in turn informed her parents. Her parents informed us that she had some health issues," he stated.
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