Students Demand Caste Census At Ashoka University: Varsity Hits Back For Sloganeering

Sitting under a canopy outside the campus, chanting slogans reminiscent of the anti-CAA protests, a group of students at Ashoka University, a private university in Sonipat, Haryana, have been on strike for more than a week over alleged caste discrimination. They want a students caste census, a buzzword this election season.

Led by an independent student body called the Social Justice Forum (SJF), the sit-in protest began on March 20 – the day Dr BR Ambedkar started his Mahad Satayagraha in Maharashtra – and has since shifted from inside the campus to outside, near the university gate. “We have been staying right outside the university gate, but we are not allowed to use electricity from the campus. Even when it rained, the college did not provide us with any support. We slept here all night,” says one of the protesters. 

The students have three demands from the administration – an annual caste census, an Ambedkar Memorial Lecture involving speakers from marginalised communities and a change in the late fee penalty policy – but the talks with the administration have failed so far. 

While the Vice Chancellor, Somak Raychaudhury, has announced that the varsity was in the process of setting up an Equal Opportunity Cell, which he stated was in line with the demands of the protesters, the students feel that without a caste census, the Cell will be meaningless.

How It Started

The protest has its roots in the demands raised by the SJF in November when they sought an Anti-Discrimination Cell/Equal Opportunity Cell with more than 200 signatories from faculty, staff and students. They cited the 2019 report in the university newsletter Edict about the lack of diversity in Young India Fellowship, Ashoka University’s flagship programme, which revealed alarming under-representation of marginalised communities.

Moreover, the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2023 data for Ashoka shows that only 124 out of 1823 students admitted for the undergraduate programs last year belong to the SC/ST/OBC category. This is less than 7 per cent of the total strength. Similar to other premier institutes in the country, students at Ashoka too feel that caste remains a sensitive topic and the underrepresentation of students from backward castes is unresolved despite many promises.

“We want caste census on campus because it is the only way to determine the actual diversity of the students, faculty and staff members in terms of their social background,” says an SJF member who didn't want to be named.

Responding to SJF, the VC had said that the college would set up a Student Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC), as per UGC guidelines, and an Equal Opportunity Cell to address cases of discrimination. The VC’s response, the SJF pointed out, did not have any mention of the word caste, caste census or reservation. They allege the VC also said that EOC will have “elected student representatives in the composition” alongside faculty members. “Without caste census, how will we ensure that the elections (for student representatives) are free and fair? How will the Cell ensure there is no discrimination against students from SC/ST/OBC communities?” asks the SJF member.

After a series of back-and-forth with the administration over three months, on March 12, the SJF expressed to the VC its concern about “caste blindness”. “While we appreciate the responsiveness of the administration towards the establishment of the Equal Opportunity Cell, we would like to reiterate that without a clear idea of diversity on this campus, inclusive representation cannot be guaranteed,” they said, and announced an indefinite sit-in protest in front of the administration block.

Six days into the protest, a statement by the university read: “We are actively working on creating an Equal Opportunity Cell, whose role will include making recommendations to the University to improve prevailing practices and policies on inclusion, diversity and sensitisation. It will have faculty, staff and elected student representatives as members and will become operational soon.” In parallel talks with SJF members, the VC allegedly denied the need for a caste census and a change in policy for late fee payment

How Does Ashoka Address Caste Discrimination?

According to the SJF, there have been several instances where people belonging to marginalised identities have faced discriminatory behaviour and acts. The incidents often go unaccounted for and unaddressed due to the absence of a formal reporting body. A Diversity and Inclusion Committee which was set up in 2019 also stands defunct at present.

Ashoka University says it has created enough avenues for students to bring forth caste-related issues. “The University has the Anti-Ragging Committee as well as the Committee Against Disciplinary Infractions (CADI). Both have faculty, staff and students as its members. If there is a dimension of identity-based discrimination, in particular cases, special committees have also been occasionally set up having senior faculty and staff as members. The Equal Opportunity Cell will adjudicate on cases as well as make recommendations going forward," says the university spokesperson. On caste census, the university maintains its stand saying the Equal Opportunity Cell and the Student Grievance Redressal Committee (SGRC) will look into issues around discrimination.

University Cites 'Expressions of Hatred'

Videos of SJF members and students protesting in the halls of Ashoka University, raising slogans “Brahmin-Baniyavad Murdabad” and “We demand a caste census, we demand reservation at Ashoka” were widely circulated on social media platforms, angering some users and gaining the administration’s attention and scrutiny. “Ashoka University attaches great value to freedom of expression and vigorous debate…The university deplores expressions of hatred directed against any individual or group,” the university released a statement, adding that it will take all measures necessary to ensure peace and harmony on campus.

Meanwhile, the SJF has alleged that there have been attempts “by right-wing social media handles” to distort and divert the motivation of the protest by picking up certain slogans and painting them as vindictive towards an individual community. The Ashoka University Student Government (AUSG) – an official student body to represent collective demands of the students – has extended support to the SJF.