According to media reports, Dr. Pamposh committed suicide because of cast oppression she faced while serving as an interim at the Guru Ram Dass Hospital in Amritsar. The steering committee urges the authorities to not only do the due diligence, but also, strengthen their capacity to educate against caste oppression.

By Chetna Association of Canada and the 

The Ambedkarite International Coordination Society - Steering Committee for the Dr. Ambedkar International Symposium on Emancipation and Equality Day is shocked by the tragic loss of Dr. Pamposh.

According to media reports, Dr. Pamposh committed suicide because of cast oppression she faced while serving as an interim at the Guru Ram Dass Hospital in Amritsar. The steering committee urges the authorities to not only do the due diligence, but also, strengthen their capacity to educate against caste oppression.

The sad news comes at a time when outside of India, jurisdictions such as the City of Seattle, Toronto District School Board, and many universities in the United States and Canada have discussed motions on caste oppression, and in some cases, added caste  as a protected category to prevent caste oppression and discrimination.

To further facilitate the conversation on caste oppression, the steering committee has included a session on "Caste in academic settings in Canada and other jurisdictions."  The session will be on Saturday, April 22 at University of British Columbia.

For those who denounce measures such as the ones taken by City of Seattle and Toronto District School Board, need to take a closer look at the oppression that led to the death of Dr. Pamposh,  Ph.D candidate Rohith Vemula, and others at some of the universities in India.  

The steering committee demands that the institutes who fail to take proactive measures to prevent caste oppression should be held accountable for not providing safe and inclusive environments.