Skip to main content

IIM-Bangalore faculty, students to Modi: Punish those covering up Hathras gangrape

By A Representative

In a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, nearly 200 faculty, staff, students and alumni of the Indian Institute of Management-Bangalore (IIM-B), even as condemning the “vicious gang-rape of the 19-year old Dalit girl from Hathras”, have demanded “justice for the girl who died under the brutal attack without recourse to good medical care” and “was not given the dignity of a last farewell.”
Also demanding justice for the family which was “denied access to participate in her last rites”, the letter says, “We seek assurance that the family will not be intimidated, but rather supported to get justice”, adding, “We demand that in addition to the perpetrators of the rape, those who seek to bury this matter with such impunity are also punished.”
The letter warns, “We will no longer sit by idly while our Dalit sisters are subjected to harassment and indignity. As the heirs of Ambedkar, Gandhi, Kabir, Savitribai Phule, Basavanna and countless others who have fought for equality and our rights, we will no longer consent to this injustice. We stand together and say ‘Enough!’ This stops in our generation. This stops with us.”
Demanding that “the government and the police do their jobs and ensure safety and security for every Indian citizen” the letter says, justice should be delivered to “innumerable girls and women, from all walks of Indian society, but especially from the poorest and the most marginalized communities, who are targeted and abused daily on the basis of their caste or religion.”
“We demand the right to safety. To dignity. For all Indians. We demand that our law and order system follows due process and justice in this case and always. Not encounters. Not cover-ups. Not extra-judicial killings. Not use tools of governance against us every time we peacefully protest actions of our government”, it says.

Comments

TRENDING

Neville Cardus: The man who turned cricket writing into poetry

By Harsh Thakor*  Neville Cardus was one of the most remarkable literary figures of the twentieth century. A prolific English writer and critic, he achieved distinction in two vastly different fields: cricket and classical music. Entirely self-taught, Cardus rose from humble beginnings to become both the cricket correspondent and chief music critic of The Manchester Guardian . His achievements in these contrasting disciplines earned him widespread acclaim and established him as one of the foremost critics of his generation. In February 2025, the cricketing and literary world marked the fiftieth anniversary of his death, which occurred in February 1975.

​Ideological shifts and structural realities within India's left-wing insurgency

​By Harsh Thakor*  The Maoist insurgency in India is arguably at its weakest point since the formation of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) in 2004. Years of sustained counterinsurgency operations, leadership losses, shrinking territorial influence, declining recruitment, and growing technological advantages enjoyed by the state have significantly eroded the movement's operational capabilities. 

The Dalit body on screen: Stereotypes, sacrifice, and subjugation in Hindi films

By Dr. Prem Singh*  Despite centuries of reformist efforts, from Gandhi and Ambedkar to contemporary activists, the caste system remains deeply embedded in the Indian psyche. One of the primary reasons for this persistence is the religious sanction provided by Brahminical scriptures, which have shaped not only social structures but also cultural and artistic expressions.