Prof. Abhay Karandikar
Director, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Kanpur, UP, India
Dear Prof Karandikar,
We, the undersigned, would like to express our deepest concerns towards the Dhobi families who have been served notice to evict IITK premises by April 28, 2018. We appeal to you to withdraw the eviction notice with immediate effect on the following grounds:
1. Dhobis have been serving the IITK students, faculty, staff, and their families for the last 57 years without any serious complaints. The founding director, Prof P K Kelkar, invited them to settle within the campus and provide their invaluable services and become part of the entire IIITK community. It would be morally wrong to break that promise and make Dhobi families homeless and without work.
2. As the student strength has increased so has the demand for their services. With availability of cheap labour in Indian context, automation through washing machines is not a better option considering higher energy costs and adverse impact on environment.
3. We understand that students are also against this notice of eviction to Dhobis because their services are quite affordable to the campus community (Rs 5-8 per cloth) which makes us even wonder about the rationale behind this decision. Passing the operating cost of these machines to students who are already complaining about high electricity charges, makes no sense.
4. Dhobi Ghat area is too small to be utilized for hostel or academic facilities. In any case, those buildings should not be constructed by throwing out the thriving community living there for the past 57 years.
5. In the capacity of our different roles as teachers, students, staff and alumni, we have extremely fond memories interacting with the Dhobis of IITK. Some alumni still meet them in their reunions. Such a long relationship should not be annulled in such an unjust cavalier manner.
6. The institute has been collecting rent and electricity charges from Dhobis for a long period of time without providing them with proper toilet facilities and other basic amenities. Instead of striving to improve their living and working conditions (such as menace caused by increased intrusion of cattle), IITK may be undermining the credits earned by the Dhobi community and foregoing its moral obligations.
We, the concerned, therefore appeal you to withdraw the eviction notice with immediate effect.
With sincere regards,
Concerned citizens
Links:
For more background of eviction notice sent to the Dhobis at IIT Kanpur:
A presentation made by a student in 2010 reflecting living and working conditions of the Dhobi community:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YxierQ1pcA45CSnFu3vbJBq2rayLNDSR/view
Updates
April 27, 2018
The administration remains silent despite our pleas. Your stories about the Dhobi community confirm that this service is essential to campus life.
April 27, 2018
The momentum is undeniable and the message is clear. Our campus community stands together on this.
Reached 100 supporters
April 27, 2018
48 Comments
This eviction notice seems arbitrary. Can faculty members be evicted from their residences, or offices and labs? I think the institute should be careful trying to just "evict"; it may become a practice! The dhobis provide an essential service, and the dhobi ghat has been created and organized for this purpose. So what prompts this?
If the reasons presented(Using space for academics) are legitimate , then they should be provided some alternate space to put up inside campus. But since , as per the report, the space occupied by community isn't large enough to build a new academic place, this authoritative and irrational notice should get revoked
Education institutes are supposed to lead the world in humanitarian values. Evicting the entire Dhobi community and depriving them of their livelihood is both senseless and unfair. When the institute acts like this, one wonders what values exactly does it want to inculcate in students?
It is disgraceful that the IITK wants to evict the Dhobi community that has served the campus for so long. IITK needs to fulfill its original agreement with the Dhobi community and should not prioritize unnecessary development over its moral obligations to them.
I belong to 1979-84 batch of IITK and am at present a visiting faculty at the National Law University Delhi. For me, to be proud of IITK I want it to abide by a philosophy of social inclusion and democratic decision making, both are violated by the action we are protesting.
This is simply unacceptable. Hopefully, this petition gets the attention that it deserves, and the management takes the sensible decision of letting our Dhobis stay.
Please stop eviction. USA
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via . Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Prof. Abhay Karandikar
Director, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur
Kanpur, UP, India
Dear Prof Karandikar,
We, the undersigned, would like to express our deepest concerns towards the Dhobi families who have been served notice to evict IITK premises by April 28, 2018. We appeal to you to withdraw the eviction notice with immediate effect on the following grounds:
1. Dhobis have been serving the IITK students, faculty, staff, and their families for the last 57 years without any serious complaints. The founding director, Prof P K Kelkar, invited them to settle within the campus and provide their invaluable services and become part of the entire IIITK community. It would be morally wrong to break that promise and make Dhobi families homeless and without work.
2. As the student strength has increased so has the demand for their services. With availability of cheap labour in Indian context, automation through washing machines is not a better option considering higher energy costs and adverse impact on environment.
3. We understand that students are also against this notice of eviction to Dhobis because their services are quite affordable to the campus community (Rs 5-8 per cloth) which makes us even wonder about the rationale behind this decision. Passing the operating cost of these machines to students who are already complaining about high electricity charges, makes no sense.
4. Dhobi Ghat area is too small to be utilized for hostel or academic facilities. In any case, those buildings should not be constructed by throwing out the thriving community living there for the past 57 years.
5. In the capacity of our different roles as teachers, students, staff and alumni, we have extremely fond memories interacting with the Dhobis of IITK. Some alumni still meet them in their reunions. Such a long relationship should not be annulled in such an unjust cavalier manner.
6. The institute has been collecting rent and electricity charges from Dhobis for a long period of time without providing them with proper toilet facilities and other basic amenities. Instead of striving to improve their living and working conditions (such as menace caused by increased intrusion of cattle), IITK may be undermining the credits earned by the Dhobi community and foregoing its moral obligations.
We, the concerned, therefore appeal you to withdraw the eviction notice with immediate effect.
With sincere regards,
Concerned citizens
Links:
For more background of eviction notice sent to the Dhobis at IIT Kanpur:
A presentation made by a student in 2010 reflecting living and working conditions of the Dhobi community:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YxierQ1pcA45CSnFu3vbJBq2rayLNDSR/view
Updates
April 27, 2018
The administration remains silent despite our pleas. Your stories about the Dhobi community confirm that this service is essential to campus life.
April 27, 2018
The momentum is undeniable and the message is clear. Our campus community stands together on this.
Reached 100 supporters
April 27, 2018
48 Comments
Any responsible organization would arrange for the resettlement before eviction and reassignment to other employment before removing from jobs. Why are we acting like a private capitalist organization? Why are we selectively acting as a welfare organization to only academic members of the community? This is shameful :(
This eviction notice seems arbitrary. Can faculty members be evicted from their residences, or offices and labs? I think the institute should be careful trying to just "evict"; it may become a practice! The dhobis provide an essential service, and the dhobi ghat has been created and organized for this purpose. So what prompts this?
If the reasons presented(Using space for academics) are legitimate , then they should be provided some alternate space to put up inside campus. But since , as per the report, the space occupied by community isn't large enough to build a new academic place, this authoritative and irrational notice should get revoked
Education institutes are supposed to lead the world in humanitarian values. Evicting the entire Dhobi community and depriving them of their livelihood is both senseless and unfair. When the institute acts like this, one wonders what values exactly does it want to inculcate in students?
It is disgraceful that the IITK wants to evict the Dhobi community that has served the campus for so long. IITK needs to fulfill its original agreement with the Dhobi community and should not prioritize unnecessary development over its moral obligations to them.
I belong to 1979-84 batch of IITK and am at present a visiting faculty at the National Law University Delhi. For me, to be proud of IITK I want it to abide by a philosophy of social inclusion and democratic decision making, both are violated by the action we are protesting.
This is simply unacceptable. Hopefully, this petition gets the attention that it deserves, and the management takes the sensible decision of letting our Dhobis stay.
Please stop eviction. USA
Help this petition grow
Share it with friends to help reach 250 signatures.
Sign Petition
We never post to your account. Social sign-in is used only to verify your signature.
Add a comment?
Your signature will be added via .
Tell others why you're signing — it's optional.
Signing with Google or Facebook verifies your signature instantly — no email needed.
By signing, you accept our Terms and Privacy Policy and agree to occasional emails about petitions. Unsubscribe anytime.
Share this petition
Share this petition to help it reach more people.
Your share link
Petitions like this
Other petitions you might want to support
Scan to share
Anyone who scans this can sign the petition.
Any responsible organization would arrange for the resettlement before eviction and reassignment to other employment before removing from jobs. Why are we acting like a private capitalist organization? Why are we selectively acting as a welfare organization to only academic members of the community? This is shameful :(