New Delhi, April 25 -- Over the five years between 2019 and 2023, more than 25,000 Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST) and Other Backward Classes (OBC) students have dropped out of top educational institutions, including IITs (Indian Institutes of Technology) and Central universities, according to Rajya Sabha data shared by the minister of state for education in 2023.

These aren't just students; they represent 25,000 generational legacies excluded from the stream of higher education. Persisting discrimination in hostels, education and placements culminates in suicides among students from marginalised communities in IITs and IIMs (Indian Institutes of Management), highlighting the severe caste-based discrimination and linguistic i...