Dalit graduate loses job opportunity after Pune college allegedly refuses to verify documents; Ambedkar calls it caste discrimination
Prakash Ambedkar, writer and former Member of the Lok Sabha, has raised serious allegations of caste bias after a young Dalit graduate, Prem Birhade, was allegedly forced to give up a job opportunity at Heathrow Airport when his college in Pune refused to verify his academic credentials, reported gujaratsamachar.com.
Prem Birhade, a post-graduate from the University of Sussex, UK, reportedly lost his Heathrow Airport job offer because Modern College of Arts, Science and Commerce in Pune declined to confirm his academic records, despite repeated requests.
Ambedkar alleged that the denial was rooted in caste discrimination. He claimed that the college’s principal, Dr Nivedita Gajanan Ekbote — who also holds a political post as Maharashtra Vice-President of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) — acted with prejudice.
Prem’s documents had been successfully verified earlier when he applied for his UK studies, but when the same process was sought for employment verification, the college administration allegedly began questioning his caste background.
Calling the incident “a glaring example of systemic caste bias that crushes Dalit aspirations,” Ambedkar demanded strict accountability and immediate intervention by authorities.
He stated that the case exemplifies how caste-based discrimination continues to obstruct opportunities for Dalit youth even after they achieve international education and qualifications.
