Rutgers University declines to add caste as separate discrimination category

Rutgers University in New Jersey has decided not to create a separate category prohibiting caste-based discrimination, stating that “caste is already covered by the Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment”. The decision was made after a thorough review by the American university, which concluded that caste discrimination was already protected under existing categories such as religion, ancestry, national origin, and race.

“Rutgers has taken the position that caste can and does fall within some, or all, of those classes, depending on the factual circumstances,” the university said in a statement.

This decision comes in response to recommendations made by the Task Force on Caste Discrimination, which was formed as part of an agreement between the university and the American Association of University Professors-American Federation of Teachers (AAUP-AFT).

In August 2024, the task force, co-chaired by Professor Audrey Truschke, issued a report suggesting that “caste” should be added as a protected category under the university’s discrimination policy.

The university’s decision has been welcomed by Hindu grassroots advocacy and civil rights groups, who said that adding a separate category would unfairly target Hindu students and faculty.

“Rutgers University has announced it will NOT be adding ‘caste’ as a protected category to its policy preventing harassment and discrimination. As the leading American Hindu grassroots advocacy and civil rights organisation with a student team in Rutgers, CoHNA welcomes this decision,” the Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) said in a statement.

CoHNA is an advocacy group representing the Hindu community in North America, including many Indian-American students.

The Hindu American Foundations executive director, Suhag Shukla, also lauded the decision.

“We applaud Rutgers for its decision restating that existing university policy already protects against caste discrimination,” Shukla said.

“We will also continue to monitor closely any trainings or surveys the Rutgers administration conducts to ensure that students are not treated differently on the basis of their race, ethnicity, or religion, and that South Asian and Hindu-American students are not falsely or negatively stereotyped,” she added.

The debate around caste discrimination in the US has gained attention in recent years.

In 2023, a lawsuit against two Indian-American engineers at Cisco for alleged caste discrimination was dismissed with prejudice, citing a lack of evidence.

CoHNA pointed out that despite nearly a decade of investigation, no proof of systemic caste discrimination in the US has emerged.

“Yet, elite academics and privileged activists continue to use taxpayer funds to push their personal opinions and causes,” CoHNA said, adding that unverified surveys like those from Equality Labs had been rejected by courts for lacking scientific rigour.