Chandigarh: A Dalit assistant professor, Harpreet Singh, has accused the Punjab University of casteism and delaying his promotion based on his caste in a video that emerged on February 14.
An Assistant Professor in the Economics Department, Singh said that apart from the two-year-long discrimination, a colleague openly used casteist remarks against him and other Scheduled Caste professors.
“My name is Harpreet Singh, I am an assistant professor in the Economics department at the Punjab University. From the last two years, i have been a victim of caste-based discrimination,” Singh said in a video statement.
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According to Singh’s video statement, Professor Dr Smriti Sharma repeatedly hurled casteist remarks at him and his Dalit colleagues in public settings.
“Dr Smrita Sharma, a colleague in my department, openly used casteist remarks against my colleagues and me from the SC category during a staff meeting.”
“When we reported, the university authorities told me that Smriti Sharma has filed a complaint against my promotion,” Singh said, adding that he was a victim of “systematic caste discrimination.”
“It is obvious that any chairperson cannot do these kind of systematic caste discrimination without the support of faculty members of the department as well as the university authorities,” Singh claimed.
A Dalit assistant professor, Harpreet Singh, has accused the Punjab University of casteism and delaying his promotion based on his caste in a video that emerged on February 14.
Assistant Professor Singh from the Department of Economics said that apart from the two-year-long… pic.twitter.com/g5SAZ7WzwP
— The Siasat Daily (@TheSiasatDaily) February 17, 2026
Singh also alleged that the institutional casteism within the university fostered a hostile environment for both students and faculty from marginalised communities. He stated that he would formally submit a memorandum to university authorities, demanding an end to the discrimination and insisting that his promotion no longer be delayed.
“I have repeatedly filed complaints regarding this issue. and recently I have written a memorandum, stating that this casteist discrimination need to be stopped, my promotion cannot be delayed,” he said.
He called for public support, declaring that he would stage a dharna if the university did not take swift action.
