Caste-based discrimination found at IIM Bangalore; K'taka govt calls for action against officials
Bengaluru: An inquiry by the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) has uncovered evidence of caste-based discrimination at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIM-B), prompting the Karnataka Department of Social Welfare to recommend action against six senior officials, including the institute’s Director, Dr. Rishikesha T Krishnan.
The investigation revealed that Dr. Gopal Das, an associate professor of marketing from a Scheduled Caste (SC), faced public humiliation, workplace exclusion, and denial of equal opportunities. It also highlighted the institute’s failure to implement mandatory grievance redressal mechanisms for SC and Scheduled Tribe (ST) employees.
The inquiry detailed incidents where Dr. Krishnan allegedly disclosed Dr. Das’s caste in a mass email and, along with Dr. Dinesh Kumar, the Dean (Faculty), denied him professional opportunities. The allegations were first raised in January 2024, when Dr. Das wrote to President Droupadi Murmu during her visit to IIM-B, accusing the institution of systemic exclusion and caste-based discrimination.
Following a directive from the President’s office, the DCRE initiated an inquiry in March 2024. The investigation culminated in a report submitted by Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) Arun Chakravarthy to the Social Welfare Department on November 26.
The findings named other senior officials, including renowned cardiologist and Board of Governors Chairman Dr. Devi Prasad Shetty, along with Professors Sreelata Jonnalagedda, Rahul De, Ashish Mishra, and Chetan Subramanian. Dr. Shetty obtained a stay on the inquiry proceedings from the Karnataka High Court.
In response, the Karnataka Social Welfare Department directed the Bengaluru Commissioner on December 9 to initiate action against the remaining six officials under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 2015.
IIM-B issued a statement asserting that it had cooperated fully with the DCRE inquiry but had not received a copy of the report. The institute described the media reports as "unfortunate" and highlighted its support for Dr. Das since his recruitment in 2018.
The institute also countered allegations of discrimination, noting that Dr. Das’s claims arose only after his promotion application was delayed due to complaints of harassment filed by doctoral students. An internal inquiry reportedly found the complaints against Dr. Das to be valid.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
