Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan and 17 other members of the faculty and administration of the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru have been accused of caste-based discrimination by a former professor. A complaint has been filed with the Sadashivanagar police station under provisions of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
D Sanna Durgappa, who belongs to Bhovi community (SC), was a faculty member at the Centre for Sustainable Technology at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc). He filed a private complaint with a Bengaluru court, based on which the Sadashivanagar police registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Monday, January 27.
Durgappa has alleged in his complaint that his employment with the Institute was terminated and false allegations of sexual harassment were foisted on him after he requested funding and that he was “forced to endure over nine years of unemployment.”
Durgappa, who holds a PhD in Zoology, was appointed as a lecturer in the Institute on July 10, 2008, and was promoted to assistant professor on July 10, 2011. He has said in the complaint that he had made a representation under the Scheduled Caste Sub-Plan and Tribal Sub Plan funds after being denied a separate laboratory and sitting area after reporting for duty.
He had first complained about caste discrimination at the institute on October 25, 2011, to the present Director of IISc, Govindan Rangarajan, through the SC/ST Faculty and Officers Association.
He alleged in the complaint that he was caught in an entrapment case orchestrated by the director and his employment was terminated. He said the inquiry against him in the case was not carried out properly.
In his private complaint, Durgappa also said that an investigation by a Legislature Assembly Committee in May 2017 had revealed no sexual harassment had taken place and that he was singled out because he was a Dalit. The institute had agreed before the committee that they would reinstate Durgappa but later failed to do so.
He said that he met with the Director of IISc on two occasions – May 19, 2017, and October 9, 2020 – to submit his review petition for reinstatement. During these meetings, he allegedly faced threats of a police complaint. Alleging caste-based mistreatment, Durgappa then approached the court.
The accused include Balaram P, former IISc director, Sridhar Warrier, Anil Kumar, Namrata Gundaih, Nirmala, Sandhya Vishwanath, Dipshika Chakravarthy, Hari KVS, Dasappa, Govindan Rangarajan, Balachandra P, Hemala Mhishi, Anjali Karande, Chattopadyaya K, Pradeep Sawkar, Abhilash Raju, and Manoharan.
Kris Gopalakrishnan, who was on the governing council of the institute, has also been named.
A case has been booked under sections 3(8) (false complaints against SC or ST person), 3(14) (denies a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe any customary right of passage to a place of public resort or obstructs such member so as to prevent him from using or having access to a place of public resort), 3(1)(2) (acts with intent to cause injury, insult or annoyance ), 3(x) (intentionally insults or intimidates with intent to humiliate ), and 2(1) (giving false evidence that will lead to conviction of an SC/ST person), of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.