Prejudice irk youth

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When humiliation turns into angst, there is no looking back. Recently, a large number of students of IMS Ghaziabad raised slogans against officials of the institute, alleging that they forced 27 students to shave their heads. The protesters alleged that some students of the scheduled castes were insulted and the officials forced the students’ guardians to beat them up and many of them were harassed and insulted.

This incident has irked students, who say this is not happening for the first time. If you look deep into the matter, the unpleasantness and the biased attitude are ground realities. They are prevalent all around us.
Damini, a Miranda House student narrates her experience, “I had a nasty time at an organisation, where I worked for a brief period. The firm was particularly male dominant in terms of employees and I felt discomfort towards female workers as well. Women workers were given unnecessary burden sans any appreciation. It was annoying and made the working environment uncomfortable.”
Moreover, sometimes even the questions are not raised on the flouted rules and regulations. Says Megha from NIFT, “Even though ragging is banned, it still persists. Even if the college authorities or hostel wardens are aware about it, no strict action is taken against such ill treatments.”
It seems that our society can never get rid of such prejudice, as even in the past such cases have been witnessed. Last year, a Dalit blind student was killed because of his caste, and often teachers and students from OBC category are looked down upon. It gives a picture of India being a hub of caste discrimination and social injustice.
Devika Mittal from Lady Shri Ram College says that an OBC reservation is to provide them with equal status in the society. “But the system mires it with corruption and diplomacy. Our officials favour unequal treatment, leading to humiliation. Our country is economically stable, but it’s very necessary to have a sea change in people’s mentality.”