DC Edit | Campus Evils: Cheating, Caste
Cheating, plagiarism or unauthorised use of artificial intelligence during examinations must invite the same disciplinary process irrespective of a student’s caste, religion, gender or economic background. The death at IIT Bombay should not induce fear among examination invigilators, as it will give a death blow to education in India
The death by suicide of a student at IIT Bombay, one of India’s premier education institutions, has once again brought allegations of caste discrimination into focus. The tragedy deserves a thorough and impartial investigation, since the student’s family has accused the invigilator of making a casteist slur.
However, the circumstances of the case are important. The student was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination and uploading the question paper to ChatGPT — an examination fraud. According to IIT Bombay, faculty members counselled him after the incident and assured him that his academic career would not be jeopardised. Yet, the student ended his life by suicide. His family has alleged that he had been subjected to caste discrimination for months, leading to the police registering a case that includes provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
This incident brings to the fore two issues — caste discrimination and examination fraud. It is important that the country acts against one of them. Caste prejudice has been one of the major problems at premier institutions.
It is real enough to demand institutional attention, and it cannot and should not be an excuse for examination fraud. Students entering IITs through reservation — typically with lower ranks — have regularly been socially excluded on campuses, defeating the very purpose of affirmative action.
At the same time, equality cannot mean different standards of academic conduct. Cheating, plagiarism or unauthorised use of artificial intelligence during examinations must invite the same disciplinary process irrespective of a student’s caste, religion, gender or economic background. The death at IIT Bombay should not induce fear among examination invigilators, as it will give a death blow to education in India.
The IITs must, therefore, ensure robust and independent mechanisms through which students can report caste discrimination without fear of retaliation. If any student requires remedial classes, IITs must offer them.
