MUMBAI: The parents of an IIT Bombay student, who allegedly died by suicide last week, began an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Thursday evening after meeting the chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).
The students’ parents had initially planned to stage their protest at IIT-B’s main gate. After reportedly waiting for about an hour, they were taken to the government’s Sahyadri Guest House where NCSC chairperson Kishor Makwana met them. He also visited the energy science and engineering department, the examination hall and the student’s hostel room, and met his classmates. Makwana has asked IIT Bombay to preserve the CCTV footage, electronic evidence and other records related to the event. He later met senior police officials and directed them to ensure a fair, impartial, comprehensive and time-bound investigation. Fellow students alleged that he was asked to leave the exam hall and threatened with disciplinary action, including suspension. IIT-B, however, refuted the charges and claimed that the student was assured that the incident would not have any adverse impact on his career.
After the meeting, the parents went to Azad Maidan at 5 pm to conduct their indefinite hunger strike there. Makwana also visited IIT Bombay and held a detailed meeting with the director, deputy director, registrar, faculty members and other officials, where he sought details of the events during and after the September 18 incident. The student was found dead on the evening of September 18, hours after he was pulled up for using a mobile phone during an examination, according to the police.
They said they would remain on strike until Prof Suryanarayana Doolla was arrested and their other demands were addressed. However, on Thursday morning, when they were travelling towards the institute, the police stopped them five km away from the campus. Late on Thursday night, however, they had to leave after the police denied them permission for Friday on account of Ganesh visarjan. They will continue their hunger strike on Saturday.
The parents submitted their representation of 12 demands to the NCSC chairman during the meeting and reiterated their demand for action against those named in the case. The parents then raised concerns about the CCTV footage related to the student’s death, which has recently been widely circulated in the media and on social media. They have also sought the arrest of IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare and dean of student affairs Satyanarayan Dulla. They also demanded that the investigation be handed over to the CBI.
Advocates Nikhil Kamble and Siddharth Ingale, who are providing legal aid to the parents, said that Makwana asked the parents whether they had faith in the ongoing investigation. They questioned how the footage, which they described as important evidence in the case, became available publicly, and told Makwana that they wanted an independent inquiry into this.
