Invitation for National conference on ‘SC/ST Reservation Bill 2008 and Academic Untouchability’ on the 17 February 2009 at A.P. Bhavan, Ashoka Road, New Delhi
Tanveer Kazi
Jai Bhim,
Dalit Students' Solidarity Movement is organising a National
conference on 'SC/ST Reservation Bill 2008 and Academic
Untouchability' on the 17 February 2009 at A.P. Bhavan, Ashoka Road,
New Delhi, to reject the discriminatory content on the Reservation
Bill and pass the bill as per the true spirit of the Reservations.
The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Reservations in Posts and
Services) Bill, 2008 that has been passed by the Rajya Sabha on 23rd
December and slated to be introduced in the ensuing session of Lok
Sabha commencing on 12th February, 2009. It is irony that the
Department of Personnel, under the Ministry headed by Prime Minister
has introduced the above mentioned bill which is patently
discriminatory and serves the interests of those opposed to
reservations than those interests which it claims to protect. The bill
is once again a reflection of the discriminatory ethos that Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes are fit only to occupy the lowest
positions in society, whatever the arena. It questions the ability and
skills of these communities to perform in higher positions of
authority and influence. This is certainly a mechanism to ensure that
Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes continue to remain at the lower
echelons of society.
Academic Untouchability, it is also a reality that Reservation has
still not been implemented fully, and at the other hand, those who
have manage to secure spaces in higher education or in education area
per se, are continuously facing caste biases entrenched into every
spheres of institutions. Sometime it may be in the process of
admission to particular course, some time in the form of
discrimination/harassment by non Dalit students, verbal comments,
academic evaluation by faculty's etc. Institutional/systemic exclusion
is another level of discrimination in the form of denial of
scholarship/fellowships, poor maintenance/keeping of SC/ST hostels,
ghettoisation of Dalit students during hostel allocation, no
guide/proper guide allotted to Dalit research scholar on time,
internal evaluation system etc, which exclude Dalit student throughout
their academic life. This type of caste based discrimination doesn't
only produce inhibition/humiliation among Dalit students, some time it
leads to extreme sense of humiliation or depressions that Dalit
students commit suicide as in the case of Senthilkumar.
We urge all progressive citizens to participate in the National
Conference and join the struggle for social equality and social
justice, the only way to ensure inclusiveness in employment and
education.
Dr. Ajita Nova Mr.
Paul Divakar
Dalit Students' Solidarity Movement National Campaign on Dalit
Human Rights
--
Tanveer Kazi
National Secretary(Advocacy)
National Campaign On Dalit Human Rights
8/1,2nd Floor, South Patel Nagar
NEW DELHI-110008 ( INDIA)
Ph/ Fax:- 91-11-25842249/ 25842250
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Email:- tan...@ncdhr.org
tan...@gmail.com
Website:- www.ncdhr.org.in