The parents of a deceased IIT Bombay student have begun hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, seeking action against ‘tormentors’.
In a video shared on social media that has since gone viral, the family alleged that they repeatedly asked the driver where they were being taken. The 20-year-old BTech student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination.
The driver kept telling them he was taking them home, according to the family. They said they were tired and sleepy at the time. (With inputs from Niraj Pandit) The family said they had wanted to remain in Mumbai and begin their protest outside IIT Bombay on Wednesday morning, demanding the immediate arrest of two named faculty members — professor Suryanarayana Doolla and institute director Shireesh Kedare.
Hours before they were scheduled to begin their hunger strike outside IIT Bombay’s Powai campus, the family alleged that they were forcibly taken out of Mumbai in a private car against their wishes early Wednesday and driven to Washim district, around 555 km from Mumbai.
The parents met the National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman in Mumbai and submitted a memorandum, seeking speedy investigation into their son’s death.
