MUMBAI: Three days after protesting students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) refused to back down following Friday’s suicide on campus, the institute has convened a special meeting of its Board of Governors on Monday to discuss the issues raised by students and their demands.
Parents of the deceased, a scheduled caste student, have named Suryanarayan Doolla,, a former dean of student affairs and their son’s professor, in an FIR filed with the police, alleging abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination. They also demanded better representation in academic and non-academic committees dealing with student matters; voting rights for student representatives and equal student representation in such committees. They also demanded a commitment that no disciplinary or other punitive action would be taken against students participating in the peaceful protest.
The developments came after three days of sustained protests on the IIT-B’s Powai campus, which remained charged following the suicide of a second-year BTech student, who was caught allegedly cheating in an exam on Friday. On Sunday, students raised slogans, sang protest songs and stood firm, forcing the institute to address issues wider than the immediate circumstances concerning Friday’s suicide.
