Policy (CSSEIP) at Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Nehru Fellow 1994-97 Kancha Ilaiah Shepherd (born 5 October 1952) is an Indian political theorist, writer and a Dalit rights activist.

[1] Kancha Ilaiah was born in the village of Papaiahpet of Chennaraopet mandal, Warangal district in present-day Telangana.

[2] He belongs to the Kuruma golla (Yadav) caste,[3][4] a community of goatherds designated as an Other Backward Class.

Ilaiah characterises his name change as a tool to break these norms and to value the work of what he terms "productive classes:" including Scheduled Castes and OBCs.

[18] While working as an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at Osmania University, several of Ilaiah's colleagues as well as academics affiliated with the university expressed, in an open-letter, their concern with respect to certain articles and opinions that Ilaiah had contributed to a local newspaper and advised him against writing material that could inflame sectarian discontent or prejudice.

[19] On 18 September 2017, T. G. Venkatesh, a member of Indian Parliament representing the Telugu Desam Party and a prominent leader of the Arya Vysya said at a press conference that Ilaiah was a traitor and should be hanged because his writings were "intended to divide society.