Professor Gopal Das, who is also included in the list of Stanford University, has accused 8 people including the IIM director of harassment, know what was revealed in the DCRE investigation report.
Bangalore: On one hand, there is the story of India’s flag flying in the global academic world, on the other hand, the agony of struggling for respect in the country’s prestigious institute. Gopal Das, Marketing Associate Professor and Dalit scholar of Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), has registered his name among the top 20 marketing researchers in the world. In this list released by Marketing Big15 USA in August, he has got the first place in India and second place in Asia, while globally he is at the 17th position.
This honor has been given to him for his exceptional contribution to the world’s most prestigious ‘Marketing Big 15’ journals from 2018 to 2025. These journals are recognized by global standards like University of Texas at Dallas and Financial Times. Professor Das is the only Indian in this exclusive global list, which is a proud moment not only for IIMB but for the entire country.
But behind this glorious achievement lies a bitter truth. Professor Das has made serious allegations of systematic harassment, humiliation and denial of opportunities at IIMB because he belonged to the Scheduled Caste community.
A long journey of achievements
This global ranking of Professor Das is a testimony to his consistent excellence. He has been making it to the list of top 2% scientists in the world released by Stanford University for five consecutive years, including the recent 2024 list.
He joined IIMB in 2017 after completing his PhD from Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur. His research focuses on areas such as consumer emotions, sensory marketing and ethical decision making. He is also on the editorial review board of several prestigious journals such as the ‘Journal of Public Policy and Marketing’.
Serious allegations of discrimination and legal battle
Professor Das, who belongs to the Scheduled Caste (SC) community and identifies himself as a Dalit, has publicly alleged caste-based discrimination at IIMB. His claims have sparked a major debate.
- June 2024: Professor Das lodged a complaint with President Draupadi Murmu, who visited IIMB. In this, he accused the then director of the institute Rishikesh T Krishnan, Dean (Faculty) Dinesh Kumar and six other faculty members of harassment, humiliation and denial of equal opportunities on the basis of caste. He claimed that he was excluded from important committees, not promoted and investigations were initiated against him for financial irregularities and complaints of students in a vindictive manner.
- November-December 2024: The Directorate of Civil Rights Enforcement (DCRE) of the Government of Karnataka investigated the matter. The inquiry report released on December 19, 2024 confirmed that Professor Das faced “humiliation and exclusion” due to caste discrimination. The report recommended action under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
- December 21, 2024: Based on the DCRE report, Bengaluru police filed an FIR against the eight accused under sections of the SC/ST Act and IPC. Student organisations such as the All India OBC Students’ Association (AIOBCSA) demanded the director’s resignation.
IIMB’s side
However, IIMB dismissed all these allegations as “baseless”. The institute says that these allegations surfaced after Professor Das’ promotion was deferred in 2024 due to complaints of misconduct and sexual harassment by students against him. The institute emphasised its commitment to inclusivity, saying that Professor Das had been appointed to key positions such as the chairperson of the Institutional Review Board before the controversies.
Until December 31, 2024, the court stayed all proceedings, giving the accused an opportunity to challenge the FIR.
The case has become the centre of a wider discussion on caste dynamics in India’s top institutions. Professor Das’s supporters see his global ranking as a fitting reply to alleged bias against him. As of September 2025, the case is still sub judice with no final verdict.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy : Hindi News