BANGALORE, INDIA: Around 170 students and alumni of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) recently carried out a peaceful protest against the Union Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry's recent order on implementing reservations for faculty appointment.

The HRD Ministry had directed the IITs to implement 15 percent quota for Scheduled Castes, 7.5 percent for Scheduled Tribes and 27 percent for Other Backward Castes in the faculty. Protesting students and faculty argued that caste-based reservation will adversely effect one of the country's premier institutions.

An IITian said: "Any such move without consulting the IIT Council is completely unacceptable. This move is an infliction on the members of IIT faculty who have worked hard and made sacrifices to maintain the high education standards which IITs are known for."

This protest is not only to express serious displeasure on behalf of the students, faculty and alumni, but also against any such decision by the government, which implements caste based reservations in academics. The excellence of all such institutes is based on high standards of merit, which will only go down with such directives.

It is important to note that Honorable Supreme Court clearly directed that graduation is to be used as a basis for backwardness, implying that any graduates no more to be considered backward. The minimum qualification for an IIT professor is a PhD. Do people remain backward even after a PhD? This move marks a dooms day for the IITs which will crumble under Government's pressure to compromise the on the quality of the faculty appointments.

As things stand, it is already difficult to find the right candidates to fill the faculty positions. This is because IITs are not ready to compromise on the quality. The verdict is clear that the quality of professors will be diluted if reservations are implemented. Government is playing with the autonomy of institutes of national importance especially IITs, IIMs and AIIMS. What makes this act even more sinister than student reservation is the fact that a student is responsible just for himself where as a professor can impact the lives of all his students.

An alumni of IIT says: "We stand in solidarity with the faculty and standing committee for IITs which has in the bet interest of its students opposed the directive. We are initiating an organized struggle against government's vote-bank motivated reservation policies, and request all citizens from all walks of life to support and join us in the cause."