The Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) has ordered the expulsion of a student from its hostel for three weeks for posting "offensive and "insulting" rpt "insulting" remarks on social media against students belonging to the SC and ST community.
Another Dalit student, who coincidentally is a complainant in the case, has also been expelled from the hostel of the premier journalism institute for a week for using "indecent and vulgar language" against a faculty member on a Whatsapp group.
Hit by allegations of "casteist" remarks, the IIMC, run by the Information and Broadcasting Mnistry, had last month ordered a probe into the incident and had set up an inquiry committee for the same. The ministry had also ordered a probe into the case.
In the wake of the incidents, the ministry has recommended the creation of a social media policy "which should exmphasise on the dos and dont's and should be based on the code of conduct for students/employees."
The inquiry committee of IIMC has observed that the student, belonging to Hindi Journalism, had posted on Facebook issues related to reservation using "provocative and unparliamentary" words.
"The matter has been considered and it is felt that the language used by you was offensive, grossly provocative, insulting and unparliamentary. It also resulted in a great deal of dissatisfaction and unrest within the IIMC campus.
"You are hereby expelled from the hostel for a period of three weeks with immediate effect. You are hereby warned to be careful in the future," an order signed by Deputy Registrar of the institute P V K Raja said.
The student has sought a reconsideration of the punishment in a letter to the authorities and the hostel warden.
The committee was set up after a group of students, including those from SC and ST community, had approached authorities alleging that "ill will" and "hatred" against them was being spread by some of their peers after they protested over Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula's suicide.
In the second case, the Dalit student, pursuing the English journalism course, has been expelled from the hostel for a week as it was established that the student used "expletive" against a senior faculty member, which has been brought to the notice of the auhthorities on February 4.
"The inquiry officer has recommended the imposition of penalty of expulsion from the hostel of the institute for a period of one week. The matter has been considered and it is felt that the language used by you was indecent, offensive, vulgar and unparliamentary," the order said.
Among the other recommendations, Mihir Kumar Singh, Joint Secretary in the I&B Ministry, has proposed a set of institutional mechanisms to deal with such situations in future including the creation of an SC and ST cell and the post of Dean of Students Welfare.
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Meanwhile, addressing the IIM-C convocation, Principal Scientific Advisor to Government of India, Rajagopala Chidambaram, said the institute can explore the possibility of taking up a research project in collaboration with an IIT on how to strengthen the government's initiative to promote hi-tech manufacturing start-ups.
Chidambaram said, "Would IIM-C be interested, perhaps in collaboration with an IIT, in taking up a research project to determine what is the best route for India for success in managing hi-tech manufacturing start-ups?"
He was referring to India's capabilities in hi-precision engineering and to the problems for manufacturing start-ups, like problems of finding factories to manufacture their products.
He also emphasised on rural entrepreneurship and asked whether the management school can take up such studies.
"India's technology needs range from nuclear to rural. We want an India where quality of life is comparable to the quality of life of non-urban areas of developed countries," he said.
