VBA protests at college, alleges discrimination

CASTE ROW | Party alleges Dalit student was denied academic verification; principal rejects charge, cites policy and conduct

- Staff Reporter

The Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) on Friday staged a protest outside Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pune after one of its former students, Prem Birhade, who belongs to the Dalit community, was allegedly denied an education reference.

VBA chief Prakash Ambedkar took to X (formerly Twitter), claiming that Birhade was forced to forfeit an employment opportunity at Heathrow Airport in London after Modern College refused to verify his academic credentials because of his caste. “Prem Birhade, a young Dalit who recently graduated from the prestigious University of Sussex, was forced to forfeit a hard-earned employment opportunity at Heathrow Airport in London. The reason? His former college, Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pune, refused to verify his academic credentials, despite him submitting all required documentation. Why? Because Prem is a Dalit!” Ambedkar wrote.