IIT Indore to Introduce 60% Hostel Reservation for OBC

Indian Institute of Technology, Indore (IIT-Indore) is going to introduce 60% hostel reservation for OBC category. The union social justice minister Thawarchand Gehlot announced 60% reservation for Other Backward Classes at the IIT-Indore on Facebook.

The post by Gehlot has enraged students and many more individuals who are calling it a discriminatory move. He announced funds for construction of hostels for OBCs at IIT-Indore on September 22, 2022.

“Isn’t (this) discrimination between general, SC/ST and OBC? They (OBC students) have every right to live with general or other higher economically forward castes,” asked Awadhesh Kumar Sharma, president of Gymkhana, the student body of IIT-Indore in reply to the post.

Other students took to Twitter to express their angst at the decision introducing reservation in hostels for the first time in IITs.

"None of the IITs, IIMs or NITs has this kind of discrimination or separate accommodation at their campuses. These are institutes of excellence and such behavior should not be tolerated. This may shift the focus on caste instead of merit and talent," said one IIT-Jodhpur alumnus, who is pursuing another course from IIT-Indore, as reported in HT.

When contacted, Gehlot, an RS member from Madhya Pradesh, said the funds were given following a proposal by IIT-Indore and slammed the claims of discrimination.

He said, “These hostels will have 40% of students from other (social) categories. We are giving Rs. 15 crore to ensure that IIT-Indore has the infrastructure for OBC students.”

Ravi Saxena, the congress spokesperson, alleged the BJP of introducing the caste system in an educational institute. He said, “This is uncalled for and unconstitutional move by the Union minister.”

While waiting for clarification from the ministry regarding the decision, IIT-Indore officials refuse to render comments on the issue.