Ignoring caste in discussions within technology institutions impoverishes both scholarship and practice, making it a necessity rather than an ideological excess to examine caste within such spaces. AdvertisementThe Durban precedentThe backlash against this conference echoes a crucial historical moment — the 2001 UN World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) in Durban, South Africa. Suppressing or delegitimising such reflection reproduces the same silencing that marked the Durban event, where caste was rendered unspeakable. That shift should alarm anyone committed to academic freedom, which is already eroding in Indian academic institutions, with India ranking 156 out of 179 countries assessed in the Academic Freedom Index. Academic freedom does not require consensus; it requires the freedom to question, challenge, and critique.