Beef controversy a result of socio-political change in Eflu

Nikhila Henry, May 5, 2011, 05.03am IST

HYDERABAD: Is the beef war raging in English and Foreign Languages University (Eflu) campus rooted in the changing caste composition of the varsity? While the controversy at the face of it seems to be about inclusion of beef in the mess menu, sociologists and political analysts say that the real problem is a growing resentment among certain caste groups against the increase in the number of dalit and BC students on the campus.

According to faculty members of university, with the implementation of OBC reservation (22.5 per cent) and an increase in the number of dalit students taking admission even in the general category seats (about 6 per cent), other caste groups on campus seem to be nursing a grudge against the changing caste composition of the university. "The beef controversy only brought the fight out in the open," they say.

"Eflu till four years ago was just an institute (Centre for English and Foreign Languages) which did not have an integrated variety of students. And an elite, caste group used to be the face of this institute. But the change of the caste composition that happened soon after its conversion into a central university (2008) created a strong resentment among certain faculty and student members. This resentment, however, is not usually spoken about," explained a faculty member of the university. However, with the beef controversy the divide is visible, he added. Currently, out of the 2,500 seats in the university over 56 per cent are from dalit and BC students.

While some cited the emergence of a strong dalit group on campus for the reason for the beef controversy, political scientists said that the fight is not just about a resentment against reservation. In fact, a larger cultural battle is brewing in the background, analysts pointed out. "The university is going through a transitory period where certain traditional cultural forms including that of food culture are getting challenged and uprooted. Eating beef in public becomes a part of the assertion of dalit identity which is considered unholy by other castes," said Prof G Haragopal, political scientist and faculty University of Hyderabad.

Political scientists said that a discourse on food in the country, especially when centred around beef has larger implications. "Certain food items in the state are associated with certain caste groups. Beef is identified with SC/ST and some section of OBC castes," explained Prof Kancha Iliah, political scientist, Osmania University.

Sociologists said that Eflu's beef feud could actually be a milestone in the dalit movement, where a food culture, less celebrated in society is trying to breach its way through established social norms in educational institutions.

However, this is not the first time that such a challenge is being taken up by students. In 2005, in a similar incident, Dalit Students Association (DSU) of University of Hyderabad had established a beef stall on their campus during a cultural fest, Sukoon, a practice that has been repeated till date.

http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-05/hyderabad/29512501_1_beef-controversy-beef-war-eflu

List of Dalit students committing suicide in last four years in India’s premier institutions

Here is the list of the Dalit students who have committed suicide in last four years. This is by no means an exhaustive list but covers only those cases which we were able to document and where parents and relatives have raised their voices and had accused the institutions of caste discrimination against their children that led to their suicides.

We are sure that the actual numbers of Dalit students committing suicide in country’s premier institutions in last four years will be much higher.

• M. Shrikant, final year, B.Tech, IIT Bombay, 1st Jan 07

• Ajay S. Chandra, integrated PhD, Indian Institute of Sciences (IISc), Bangalore – 26 Aug, 07

• Jaspreet Singh, final year MBBS, Government Medical College, Chandigarh, 27 Jan 08.

• Senthil Kumar, PHD, School of Physics, University of Hyderabad – 23 Feb 08

• Prashant Kureel, first year, B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 19 April, 08

• G. Suman, final year, M.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 2nd Jan, 09

• Ankita Veghda, first year, BSc Nursing, Singhi Institute of Nursing, Ahmedabad, 20 April, 09

• D Syam Kumar, first year B.Tech, Sarojini Institute of Engineering and Technology, Vijayawada, 13 Aug, 09

• S. Amravathi, national level young woman boxer, Centre of Excellence, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh, Hyderabad, 4th Nov, 09

• Bandi Anusha, B.Com final year, Villa Mary College, Hyderabad, 5th Nov, 09

• Pushpanjali Poorty, first year, MBA, Visvesvaraiah Technological University, Bangalore, 30th Jan, 10

• Sushil Kumar Chaudhary, final year MBBS, Chattrapati Shahuji Maharaj Medical University (formerly KGMC), Lucknow, 31 Jan, 10.

• Balmukund Bharti, final year MBBS, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 3rd March, 10

• JK Ramesh, second year, BSc, University of Agricultural Sciences, Bangalore, 1st July, 10

• Madhuri Sale, final year B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 17th November, 10

• G. Varalakshmi, B.Tech first year, Vignan Engineering College, Hyderabad,30 Jan, 2011

• Manish Kumar, IIIrd Year B.Tech, IIT Roorkee, 13 Feb, 11

• Linesh Mohan Gawle, PhD, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, 16 April, 11

Dying Young

A 27-year-old Dalit student commits suicide in a prestigious research institute while itsadministration calls it a death because of a love affair, the students allege that the administration has failed in its duties  

Vidhi Choudhary, Delhi 

To the horror of his friends, Linesh Mohan Gawle, a second year PhD student from the NationalInstitute of Immunology (NII), Delhi, was found frothing from his mouth in his hostel roomon Saturday morning, perhaps because he consumed a chemical from the laboratory. He wasdeclared 'brought dead' by Fortis hospital soon after.

 

"We cannot believe our friend is not with us anymore," said a fellow student, on condition ofanonymity. "It is a sin to openly dissent at NII, unlike in JNU, where students can at least speak their hearts out without fearing butchery of their degree and career. There is just no protocol to check teachers' behaviour with students so we cannot afford to come out openly against anyone who terrorises us on campus, like JNU students can," he lamented. NII is affiliated with the School of Life Sciences, JNU. 

"Suicide is an ultimate step a person takes when all other support systems have failed. For every one suicide like this, we can assume ten others who might just cross the line," said Kamalini Mukherjee, a JNU student researching on the subject of suicide. Even though the science research institute claims of 'excellent counselling services' on campus, the students allege that they are not satisfactory since students are increasingly resorting to death, as a way out of stress.

"If we say we want to work from home, we're forced to stay in hostel, and made to over-work inlabs, including on weekends, without any upper limit on hours we spend there. The 'best student'is made out to be the one who makes excellent presentations on weekends. The rest of us aretargeted and shamed publicly, week after week, if we're falling short of Sunday-standards thatseem to endlessly increase," confessed another student.

"We're living like slaves here, unable to satisfy our masters, and some of us, like Linesh, just snap when we're unable to tolerate more," alleged a student.

On the administration's stance that it was a 'love affair' or a 'personal problem' that stressedhim and led to suicide, there seems to be no one on campus who has heard of Gawle's partner, while most seem to connect with his depressed state of mind, revealing the urgent needof a positive, structural change in the way NII staff treats students.

"We want an impartial enquiry into the incident as Linesh was a bright, promising student, whoeven scored 98 percent marks in the Graduate Aptitude Test in Engineering (GATE) test, nota small task," said Sandeep, president of All India Students' Association (AISA), JNU. "This is a case of dalit oppression by upper caste elites, who dominate everywhere, including ineducational institutions," alleged Shephalika Shekhar, also from JNU.

http://www.hardnewsmedia.com/2011/04/3933

PhD student’s death sparks protests

Deepu Sebastian EdmondTags : National Institute of Immunology, Linesh Mohan Gawli, ACP Vijay Singh, Jawaharlal Nehru UniversityPosted: Tue Apr 19 2011, 01:35 hrsNew Delhi:

The death of a PhD student at the National Institute of Immunology (NII), which police are treating as an unnatural death, on Monday led to protests and demands for an independent inquiry into the case.

Linesh Mohan Gawli, a 27-year-old Dalit from Dindori in Jabalpur, was found dead on Sunday. It is suspected that he took his own life by consuming poison.

“His room was locked from inside. As of now, it is a case of unnatural death. He had taken poison. We have sent the viscera for a chemical analysis to find out the exact cause of death. The report is awaited,” said Vijay Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

A group of students from Jawaharlal Nehru University and the Indian Institute of Mass Communication protested outside the NII on Monday. They demanded an independent inquiry into the death of Gawli.

The students claimed this was the third such incident in as many years.