IIM-B director, seven others booked over caste discrimination against Dalit professor
Bengaluru(PTI): A case has been registered against the director and seven professors of the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM) for allegedly discriminating against a Dalit associate professor on the basis of his caste, police said on Saturday.
Based on the complaint from the associate professor, a case was registered on Friday against the director and other faculty members of IIMB under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
"We received the complaint and filed a case. However, those named in the FIR claimed that they obtained a stay order from the court the same evening. But we are yet to receive the order," a senior officer said.
Based on an investigation report of the Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE), the Social Welfare Department directed the state police chief to initiate legal action on the complaint of the said associate professor.
According to police, Gopal Das, an associate professor at IIMB, alleged that eight persons deliberately revealed and publicised his caste at workplace and he was denied equal opportunity.
He further alleged that he was also threatened and mentally harassed.
In a statement issued earlier, the IIMB claimed that rather than harassment or discrimination, Das has received all forms of support from the Institute since his recruitment in 2018, starting with his applying for the position of Assistant Professor, but being offered the role of Associate Professor based on his qualifications and experience.
According to IIMB, he has received significant incentives since he joined IIMB for his research and teaching, in addition to his salary as Associate Professor as per the 7th central pay commission of the Government of India. He has been given positions of responsibility including Chairperson, Institutional Review Board; Member, Career Development Services Committee and Member, Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
"He has taught courses of his choice across different academic programmes of the Institute.
Dr Das’s allegations of discrimination against the Institute and its faculty arose only when his application for promotion was put on hold because of complaints of harassment lodged by some doctoral students against him. An enquiry conducted by IIMB as per the rules, with the committee including a reputed academic from the SC category from an eminent institution, found that the students’ complaints were justified," it stated.
"IIMB remains committed to fostering an inclusive academic community and will continue to uphold its legacy of excellence and integrity, and will take appropriate action in consultation with legal experts," the statement added.
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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.
