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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India joins US-led strategic alliance 'Pax Silica'
New Delhi (PTI): India on Friday joined a US-led strategic alliance -- 'Pax Silica' -- that is aimed at building a resilient supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence.
India signed a pact joining the coalition at a ceremony at the AI Impact Summit here.
The signing ceremony was attended by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and US envoy to India Sergio Gor among others.
Gor said Pax Silica is a coalition of capabilities.
"Pax Silica is a declaration that future belongs to those who build and when free people join forces," US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg said.
The move comes amid efforts by the two sides to finalise the proposed trade deal and move forward on several other initiatives to solidify bilateral ties after a spell of severe strain in relations.
The Pax Silica initiative was launched in December last year to build a secure, resilient, and innovation-driven supply chain for critical minerals and artificial intelligence (AI).
The Pax Silica Summit was held in Washington on December 12 last year where partner nations signed the Pax Silica declaration.
The declaration lays out a shared vision of deep economic and technology cooperation across supply chains -- from raw materials through semiconductors and AI infrastructure -- and commitment to mutual prosperity and security.
The member nations of the Pax Silica included Australia, Greece, Israel, Japan, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Gor last month announced an invitation to New Delhi to join the strategic alliance. One of the key pillars of Pax Silica was to establish a durable economic order to drive AI-powered prosperity across partner nations.
"We recognise that a reliable supply chain is indispensable to our mutual economic security," according to the Pax Silica declaration.
"We also recognise that artificial intelligence (AI) represents a transformative force for our long-term prosperity and that trustworthy systems are essential to safeguarding our mutual security and prosperity," it said.
"We believe that economic value and growth will flow through and across all levels of the global AI supply chain, driving historic opportunity and demand for energy, critical minerals, manufacturing, technological hardware, infrastructure, and new markets not yet invented," it said.
