IIM-B professor accuses director, 7 others of caste discrimination | Bengaluru News

BENGALURU: IIM-Bangalore associate professor Gopal Das has accused the premier business school’s director Rishikesha T Krishnan and seven other colleagues of caste-based discrimination, alleging denial of fair promotion and harassment tied to his scheduled caste status, reports Sruthy Susan Ullas.
Das, who teaches marketing, made these allegations in a letter to President Droupadi Murmu, who visited IIM-B on Jan 3.Following his complaint, President’s office instructed Karnataka govt to probe, prompting Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) to initiate an inquiry.

Das, who joined IIM-B in 2018, claimed he faced exclusion from institutional activities, was forced to withdraw from elective courses and PhD programmes, denied access to resources, and was humiliated due to his caste. IIM-B authorities denied these allegations, stating the institute maintains a “zero-tolerance” policy for discrimination. “We do not want to comment further… the institution has given its detailed response…to the authorities concerned,” it said in a statement.
In a recent letter to Karnataka social welfare department, Das accused director Krishnan and dean Dinesh Kumar of having a history of discriminating against minorities. He alleged regular discrimination against SC/ST students and noted the absence of a dedicated SC/ST cell at IIM-B.