Mumbai: Several students of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) who have been protesting outside the institute’s main gate in Powai since the death by suicide of a 20-year-old Dalit student on September 18 have alleged that security personnel tried to evict them from the site.
The students claimed they were sitting peacefully and not blocking the movement of people or vehicles. “We are not obstructing anyone. The students also appealed to other IIT-B students, faculty members, staff and alumni to join them at the protest site, saying they would continue their agitation until their demands were met. They also demanded that the institute withdraw its statement about the student’s conduct during the examination and that the inquiry be conducted by independent members, including SC/ST students, faculty members and external experts. The parents have also requested protection from the Mumbai police commissioner, joint commissioner of police (crime) and joint commissioner of police (law and order). “The family believes that the [alleged] accused persons are influential and may influence the investigation.
Their agitation began after a second-year BTech student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 after allegedly being caught cheating during a mid-semester exam. The protesting students have presented an 18-point charter of demands to the administration, including an independent, transparent investigation into the student’s death, changes in the inquiry committee appointed by the institute, the resignation of IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare, and the suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been accused of caste-based discrimination by the deceased student’s parents. The family has therefore requested police protection as they fear for their safety,” Kamble said.
The students were pushed towards the corner of the protest area, and one of them was threatened by security personnel, according to the statement. In their statement, the students alleged that the IIT-B administration was trying to “normalise” the campus while their demands remained pending. They said that reopening the main gate and increasing security presence would not end their protest. We are sitting and demanding justice,” the statement said. In a letter submitted to the IIT-B administration, the organisations said the institute should issue an apology to the parents and the SC/ST community over its initial statement following the student’s death, which included unverified allegations.
The leakage of the CCTV footage [of what happened in the examination hall hours before the student’s suicide] has also raised concerns. The developments come as the IIT-B students’ protest entered its 13th day on Wednesday.
