[ZESTCaste] List of Dalit students committing suicide in last four years in India’s premier institutions

List of Dalit students committing suicide in last four years in
India's premier institutions
by Anoop Kumar on Monday, April 25, 2011 at 3:19pm

   * Here is the list of the Dalit students who have committed
suicide in last four years.

   * This is by no means an exhaustive list but covers only those
cases which we were able to document and where parents and relatives
have raised their voices and had accused the institutions of caste
discrimination against their children that led to their suicides.

   * We are sure that the actual numbers of Dalit students committing
suicide in country's premier institutions in last four years will be
much higher.

  1. M. Shrikant, final year, B.Tech, IIT Bombay, 1st Jan 07
  2. Ajay S. Chandra, integrated PhD, Indian Institute of Sciences
(IISc), Bangalore – 26 Aug, 07
  3. Jaspreet Singh, final year MBBS, Government Medical College,
Chandigarh, 27 Jan 08.
  4. Senthil Kumar, PHD, School of Physics, University of Hyderabad – 23 Feb 08
  5. Prashant Kureel, first year, B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 19 April, 08
  6. G. Suman, final year, M.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 2nd Jan, 09
  7. Ankita Veghda, first year, BSc Nursing, Singhi Institute of
Nursing, Ahmedabad, 20 April, 09
  8. D Syam Kumar, first year B.Tech, Sarojini Institute of
Engineering and Technology, Vijayawada, 13 Aug, 09
  9. S. Amravathi, national level young woman boxer, Centre of
Excellence, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh,Hyderabad, 4th Nov, 09
 10. Bandi Anusha, B.Com final year, Villa Mary College, Hyderabad, 5th Nov, 09
 11. Pushpanjali Poorty, first year, MBA, Visvesvaraiah Technological
University, Bangalore, 30th Jan, 10
 12. Sushil Kumar Chaudhary, final year MBBS, Chattrapati Shahuji
Maharaj Medical University (formerly KGMC), Lucknow, 31 Jan, 10.
 13. Balmukund Bharti, final year MBBS, All India Institute of
Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, 3rd March, 10
 14. JK Ramesh, second year, BSc, University of Agricultural
Sciences, Bangalore, 1st July, 10
 15. Madhuri Sale, final year B.Tech, IIT Kanpur, 17th November, 10
 16. G. Varalakshmi, B.Tech first year, Vignan Engineering College,
Hyderabad, 30 Jan, 2011
 17. Manish Kumar, IIIrd Year B.Tech, IIT Roorkee, 13 Feb, 11
 18. Linesh Mohan Gawle, PhD, National Institute of Immunology, New
Delhi, 16 April, 11

The large number of Dalit and Adivasi students committing suicide
clearly indicates the wide-spread prevalence of caste discrimination
in the Indian education system, which perceives them as
'non-meritorious', not fit to belong there.

When a student from the lowest strata of society fights against all
odds to prove her merit and reach the best educational institutions in
India, are those institutions proving themselves meritorious enough to
recognize her worth, to accommodate, let alone nurture her
aspirations?

When a Dalit or Adivasi student becomes an engineer, doctor, business
graduate or scientist, it should be a cause of pride for not just the
family or the community but for the entire nation.

Instead, why do our nation and its educational institutions reward
their merit with discrimination, humiliation, violence and death?

The time has come for Dalit and Adivasi students to speak up, share
their experiences and bring their struggles in the public domain, so
that we can fight together to make our campuses caste
discrimination-free.

Our communities cannot afford to lose our bright, young hopes like
Linesh and Balmukund, in the hands of an insensitive and casteist
educational system.

   Our documentary 'The Death of Merit' documents the horors of
caste-discrimination that is prevalent in AIIMS, New Delhi that
resulted in the suicide of one very bright Dalit student Balmukund
Bharti who was from very humble background.

   Please watch the documentary at

    http://thedeathofmeritinindia.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/%e2%80%98the-death-of-merit%e2%80%99-a-documentary/

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