“My birth is my fatal accident.”
These words from the suicide note of Rohith Vemula, a Hyderabad University student, give the complete picture of the insult, rejection and discrimination that a dalit student experiences.
The Constitution mandates that when rights are denied, help and support must be given to dalit students. For that, officials and educational institutions have to take measures.
The Constitution demands a humanistic approach towards fellow beings. The only way to bring backward, dalit and minority communities to the mainstream is by imparting education.
Bringing a community for whom acquiring knowledge was impossible for generations to primary-higher education sectors is the duty and responsibility of every Indian as per Article 46 of the Constitution.
The Constitution has not excluded the union minister and the vice-chancellor from that responsibility. If Articles 38, 39 and 46 are read together, they specifically insist that governments must properly distribute revenue and resources and utilise them to uplift economically and educationally marginalised people, especially scheduled caste and scheduled tribe communities, and take measures for that purpose.
It was to implement Article 17 that Protection of Civil Rights Act, 1955, was enacted, banning untouchability.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 was enacted to prevent every type of atrocity against scheduled communities.
The present day makes us realise that the views of those who control government and their approach to dalits is evident from their actions. The fact that conscious efforts are being made at high levels to maintain discrimination on the basis of caste, gender and food habits in Hyderabad University, Madras IIT and some other campuses in the country is worrying. Expecting the contrary when people who are interested in caste system and upper class attitude hold the reins of government does not sync with common sense.
This is the age in which a person accused in a bomb explosion case is invited as chief guest to higher education institutions that are bound to mould a secular and casteless generation with scientific temperament.
The National Commission for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes that came into existence in 1990 was an important step in the measures taken to end backwardness of dalits completely.
This commission came into existence at a time when dalit and backward community students were denied human rights in an alarming way.
In the Mohini Jain case of 1992, the Supreme Court for the first time declared that education was a weapon to ensure social and political justice. In addition to that, the court observed that the right to education flows from the right to life – to enjoy all fundamental rights with dignity.
Later, in the Unnikrishnan case, the Supreme Court for the first time declared that education was a right of the society.
The Hyderabad University vice-chancellor’s order barring five dalit students from entering the hostel and administrative block, should be seen in this context.
The reason for the discrimination against these dalit students was that they drew inspiration from the thoughts and dreams of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, the person who drafted our Constitution.
What should upset society is the fact that the vice-chancellor not only failed in his duty to protect dalit, backward and minority communities within the limits of the Constitution, but also played a lead role in taking contrary measures.
It is a social malady that we, who remained silent when five students were kept out, woke up only when one student sacrificed his life. The existence of severe dalit-gender discrimination in higher education in campuses in Kerala should not be seen lightly. Our student, youth and political organisations and higher education authorities should certainly be vigilant not to create another Rohith Vemula.
(The writer is the pro vice-chancellor of Mahatma Gandhi University)
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