IIT Mandi caste poster probe clears students of intent, rules out SC/ST act provisions

An inquiry committee set up by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi to investigate an alleged controversial casteist poster displayed during a Janmashtami program on campus has concluded that there was "no evidence of any intention to target, insult or hurt any individual or community." The committee, comprising three members and assisted by six members from the institute's Reservation Cell, also ruled out the application of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

The students associated with the poster were recommended for counseling and sensitivity training, rather than disciplinary action. The committee identified the absence of a clear procedure for organizing such events on campus as an institutional gap requiring priority attention.