IIT Kanpur violates reservation policy again; 14 departments do not have ST faculty: APPSC

NEW DELHI: Fourteen out of 19 departments in Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT Kanpur) do not have any faculty from Scheduled Tribe (ST), according to data obtained by the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle through RTI reply. It was also found that no female faculty from SC, ST, OBC categories were recruited in IIT Kanpur in 2023 despite continuous demands and government orders.

The RTI data of 19 departments in IIT Kanpur showed that 14 departments have no ST faculty, 8 departments did not have SC faculty, and 3 departments did not have OBC faculty.

Of the total faculty members joined since January 1, 2023, only 9 candidates from SC, ST, OBC were recruited. Notably, there were no female faculty recruited from SC, ST, OBC in IIT Kanpur in 2023. The study circle alleged that the institute has “deliberately denied” the mission mode recruitment of SC, ST, OBC categories.

Despite repeated directives from the education ministry, IITs, including IIT Kanpur, have failed to adhere to the reservation policy.

On August 23, 2021, the ministry of education ordered all IITs and other institutes to fill vacant faculty positions, especially in SC, ST, and OBC categories, by September 2022. It also sought monthly reports from the institutes. The APPSC has also flagged violation of reservation in faculty recruitment and PhD admissions in IITs.

Also read ‘System let him die’: IIT Kanpur MTech student was depressed due to low grades, unemployment

IIT-K has 88% male faculty

“IIT Kanpur has violated reservation in faculty recruitment despite our consistent campaign and the govt ordering MMR. They are not following the law, disobeying govt, no support for students, 3 suicides in one month. Where is accountability??” the students circle posted on X.

According to the gender-wise data, it was found that 88% of total faculty is male and only one female SC and ST faculty joined IIT-K in 2023. The total faculty strength of IIT Kanpur is 555 and 47 visiting faculty.

“In 2023, despite the order to fill up vacant seats for SC ST OBCs through Mission mode recruitment, @IITKanpur kept on taking more general candidates, and not a single female SC ST OBC faculty was recruited. Who will be held accountable for this gross injustice,” the APPSC said on X.

The situation is similar in all IITs for PhD admissions as well. In 2021, ChintaBAR, an independent student body recognised by IIT Madras, collated data published by the education ministry and found that despite good representation from the reserved categories, IITs have admitted only 2.5% ST students in the institutes.