IIT-Delhi initiates probe into conference on caste and race held over a week ago

Over a week after a conference was held at the Indian Institute Of Technology-Delhi on ‘Critical Philosophy of Caste and Race’, the institute has decided to investigate “serious concerns” raised about its “content” and “choice of speakers”, the institute said in a statement on Monday (January 26, 2026).

In its statement, posted at 1:23 a.m., IIT-Delhi noted that the conference was held from January 16 to January 18, adding it had sought an explanation from the “faculty concerned”. The institute stated that it had also established a fact-finding committee comprising “independent members” to investigate the concerns raised about the conference.

Government sources said that the institute had taken cognisance of complaints about the organising faculty, speakers at the conference, and its agenda on social media.

Users on social media criticised IIT-Delhi, calling the conference “woke nonsense”, asking why a “technological institute” was organising such an event at all, when IITs “should be holding discussions about AI”. Some users also took issue with lectures on themes like: “What’s common between Dalits and Palestinians?”

IIT-Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee did not respond to The Hindu’s request for comment. Administrative officials claimed no knowledge of who had set up this probe panel or who its members were.

The conference, which has been held since 2024, was inaugurated this year by former UGC Chairperson Sukhadeo Thorat. This year, the theme of the conference was to discuss “Indian contributions to combating caste and racism” in the context of marking 25 years of the 2001 Durban Declaration and Programme of Action (DDPA), adopted at the UN World Conference against Racism in South Africa.

It had scholars from around the world on various panel discussions and lectures, including Gail Omvedt, Shailaja Paik, Suryakant Waghmore, Paul Divakar, and many more.

The conference was organised by Professor Divya Dwivedi, IIT-Delhi, and Sowjanya Tamalapakula, Associate Professor of Woxsen University in Hyderabad, supported by the Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) of IIT-Delhi.

In its statement posted on X, the institute said, “Appropriate actions will be initiated in accordance with institutional protocols, based on the committee’s findings. The Institute remains committed to national goals, academic integrity, and established institutional guidelines.” Sources added that notice of the institutional inquiry was formally communicated to the organisers on Sunday night.

However, the institute’s response to the criticisms about the conference has also fueled comments from anti-caste activists and scholars, questioning why any critical discussion on caste was being discouraged. A faculty member from Kolkata’s Jadavpur University, Subhajit Naskar, called the conference “one of the most important” on the subject of caste and race, calling the institute’s response “outrageous and disturbing”.