A group of about 20 faculty members at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay) have questioned the institute’s role in allowing police on the campus on October 18 to clear a nearly month-long peaceful demonstration over the death of a student in September.
They asked the administration to issue a clear statement explaining what happened and fix responsibility for the action. The letter cited student allegations of physical assault, including claims of having their hair pulled, being kicked, and throttled by police personnel. The deceased’s parents, who visited the campus to pay homage to their son, were also briefly detained along with the students. The faculty members questioned whether any institute official authorised the police to enter the campus and detain the protesters. And why the institute did not help the students who were detained at the Powai police station. It also asked the administration to locate students’ personal belongings, including laptops, that were seized from the protest site but not returned. An IIT-B official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, claimed that the institute did not requisition police assistance to clear the protest site.
On Sunday, police dismantled ‘Justice Corner’, a spot at the entrance of the campus where they had been protesting for the past month over the death of a student who was found dead in his hostel room on September 18. They also asked why a second round of police action took place, during which more than 20 students were reportedly detained.
While acknowledging that faculty members held differing views on the protest — some believed the protest had served its purpose while others saw its continuance crucial for reviewing student welfare — the letter said they all agreed that the forceful removal of peaceful protesters was “difficult to accept”. The letter said the administration to file a formal complaint if the police acted without its approval. The official said police entered the campus to check the route of a visiting Member of Parliament, and the action against the protesters took place during this visit.
In an email to IIT Bombay director Prof Shireesh B Kedare on Wednesday, the faculty members cited allegations that the police detained students and used force to disperse them and questioned the role of institute officials present during the incident.
