The recent incident at Kaveri Hostel, Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), where casteist slurs were scrawled on the walls, reveals the deep-seated hatred towards Dalits and Adivasis and highlights the mental sickness of casteism. This attack is not merely an attempt to humiliate the marginalised but is an assertion of caste supremacy propagated by Brahminical and Hindu scriptures. Phrases like “Dalit leave the country,” “Chamar leave the country,” “Brahmin-Bania Long Live,” “Hindu Long Live,” and “RSS Long Live” expose the toxic underbelly of caste-based discrimination that persists even in prestigious institutions like JNU, situated in the national capital.
Casteist slogans on the walls on JNU. The Wire has blurred certain words referring to caste groups. Photo: By arrangement.
The Brahminical casteist mindset that issues threats against Dalits to leave the country within the JNU campus cannot be seen in isolation. In fact, the disdain intensifies when Dalits assert their independent Ambedkarite voice, not conforming to the discourse of the Right, Left, and Centrist parties. In a multi-party system, wherever they contest, they are termed as ‘vote cutters’ or ‘B-Team,’ allegedly aiding the BJP/RSS to win. However, this criticism falls silent when the same data implicates Savarna-Dwij-led parties. The upper-caste-led media is complicit in permeating this narrative. According to an Oxfam-Newslaundry report (2019) on Indian newsrooms, over 70% of panelists for debate shows and 72% of bylined articles are drawn from upper castes.
Such incidents shatter the illusion of progressiveness often associated with JNU and other higher education institutions, reflecting broader societal prejudices. Discrimination is starkly evident in practices like the viva voce, where SCs, STs, and OBCs are frequently given abysmally low marks out of 30, perpetuating a system that marginalises these students.
Also read: Subtly But Surely, India’s Premier Colleges Still Enforce Caste Norms. I Saw it First Hand.
According to the 2016-17 annual report by the National Campaign on Dalit Human Rights (NCDHR), Dalit students in universities face systemic biases and are often subjected to various forms of discrimination.
Deepshikha Sharma and Rama Devi, in their blog “Democracy Denied: The Fraught Realities of Higher Education for Dalits in India,” highlight the alarming statistics of suicides committed by Dalit students on Indian campuses. They further note that derogatory references like ‘sarkari damads’ (government sons-in-law), ‘sarkari Brahmins’ (government Brahmins — the Hindu upper caste), or ‘quota students’ repeatedly remind and humiliate Dalits for their caste.
This incident at JNU is part of a larger disturbing trend of increasing atrocities and hatred against people from marginalised backgrounds across the country, including ‘institutional murders’ at prestigious universities like IITs, IIMs, and medical colleges. It underscores the hostile environment faced by students from marginalised sections, highlighting the physical and psychological trauma they endure. The tragic suicide of Rohith Vemula, a Dalit PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad in 2016, is a stark reminder of the severe impact of institutionalised casteism on students’ mental health and well-being.
This utterly disturbing incident can be further understood as part of a broader schema of ghettoisation on campuses, perpetuating the social exclusion of Dalit students. This connects with the unequal distribution of resources – including hostel accommodations, dining, and sanitation facilities – as highlighted by Professor N. Sukumar (2023) in his book Caste Discrimination and Exclusion in Indian Universities. He brings out an incident similar to this one, where an AIIMS medical student’s poster in a hostel warned SC students by saying “F**k off from this wing.” The present incident only testifies that hatred against Dalits in university spaces has increased, as they are now being shunned not only from public spaces but from their own country.
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, in his struggle for the inclusion of Depressed Classes, emphasised that while political life treats every man as equal with one vote, social and economic life does not. This contradiction continues to deny true equality, and this incident is a stark reminder of that reality for many. Ambedkar’s seminal work, Annihilation of Caste, argues that caste is not merely a division of labour but a division of labourers, which has entrenched inequality in Indian society. The exclusionary practices rooted in this sense of inequality are also reflected in the lack of representation of these communities in decision-making bodies.
These incidents leave deep scars, but the memory of our emancipators’ struggles inspires us to continue fighting for our rights and dignity. While the administration often responds to such incidents by proposing the installation of CCTV cameras throughout the campus, it is essential to understand that the issue is not merely one of law and order. As Dr. B.R. Ambedkar rightly pointed out, “Caste is a state of mind. It is a disease of the mind,” and addressing it requires dedicated institutional measures within university spaces. CCTV cameras, rather than ensuring safety, can be misused to target individuals who protest and suppress dissent, further oppressing the already marginalised.
The solution lies not in surveillance but in fostering an inclusive and equitable academic environment. This requires a comprehensive approach, including sensitisation programmes for students and staff, strict anti-discrimination policies, and support systems for marginalised students. The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued guidelines to ensure the safety and inclusivity of campuses, but their implementation remains inconsistent.
There must be a strict demand for the punishment of the perpetrators and the establishment of a safe campus environment for Dalits, Adivasis, and OBCs. The fight is for a just and inclusive society, where every individual, irrespective of caste, can live with dignity and equality. True progress can only be achieved when the voices of the marginalised are heard and their rights are upheld within every sphere of society, including our educational institutions. The recent incident at JNU serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing battle against casteism and the need for an unwavering commitment to equality and justice.
Avichal Warke is a doctoral researcher at the Centre for Political Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University. His research delves into social networking platforms as arenas of discrimination, particularly through the analysis of casteist slurs.
