Caste bias row: NCP's Rohit Pawar seeks removal of Pune college principal

Pawar has accused the college of showing "Manuvadi" ideology and demanded the removal of its principal Nivedita Ekbote from the state government's core committee to frame policies for youth and sports

NCP (SP) general secretary Rohit Pawar has demanded that the Maharashtra government remove a Pune college principal from its youth and sports policy committee, following allegations of caste bias by a former Dalit student.

The former BBA student alleged caste bias and claimed the Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce had withheld his job verification, a charge denied by the institution which clarified that it had sent the document to his UK-based employer and he had not lost his job.

The college has refuted the allegations of caste discrimination, calling them baseless.

Pawar has, however, accused the college of showing "Manuvadi" ideology and demanded the removal of its principal Nivedita Ekbote from the state government's core committee to frame policies for youth and sports.

"If there are individuals with Manuvadi ideologies as well as those harbouring casteist grudges in the committee that formulates the state's sports and youth policy, then what will be the future of the state's youth?" he said in a post on his social media handle on Monday.

"This committee should include people who work towards how to get jobs abroad, and should not include individuals who cause the youth to lose job opportunities abroad due to casteist grudges," Pawar added.

He demanded that the government immediately remove the "controversial members" from the committee and restructure it.