IIT Bombay student suicide row: Candle march held at Chaityabhumi despite police detentions

Police said 20-25 people were detained for participating in the unauthorised march, while the student’s family was expected to attend but could not reached.

Students and activists seeking justice for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student who died by suicide last month participated in a silent candle march at Chaityabhumi on Sunday to pay tributes to the deceased student, even as many of them were detained by police who claimed that the march was unauthorised.

Several students and activists were detained by police who claimed that the march was unauthorised. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

“Approximately 20-25 protesters who gathered at Chaityabhoomi for an unauthorised candle march were taken to the police station,” said deputy commissioner of police Mahendra Pandit. “The process of releasing them is also underway.”

An action committee demanding justice for the deceased student had issued a call for a candle light march at Chaityabhumi at 6pm, when people usually gather to pay tributes to Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Police personnel were deployed in the area several hours in advance to prevent any law and order problems. The deceased student’s parents were expected to attend the march, but they could not be contacted after 5pm on Sunday, said their lawyer Siddharth Ingale, who was present at Chaityabhumi.

As students and activists began gathering around 5.30pm, displaying placards and raising slogans, police began detaining them and taking them to different police stations. After a short while, a second group of protesters including Peasants and Workers Party youth leader Samya Korde gathered at the site. Several people from this group too were detained, despite Ingale’s repeated appeals to the police to allow protesters to pay their respects to the deceased student peacefully.

Those detained included stand-up comedian Masoom Rajwani who was also present at Chaityabhumi for the candle march.

Ingale subsequently entered Chaityabhoomi with a few protesters and offered Buddhist prayers in front of Dr Ambedkar’s statue. Candles were also lit near the stupa, with police permission, to pay tribute to the deceased student. Later, a silent candle march was held without any slogans being raised.

Sahil Parsekar, a member of the civil society group Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), questioned the police action. Chaityabhoomi was a place of great importance to Ambedkarites and detaining students who had gathered there to remember the deceased student raised serious concerns, he said.

“When students come together to mourn, remember, and demand justice, the response cannot be intimidation and detention,” Parsekar told Hindustan Times.

Deepali Salve, general secretary of the All India Independent Scheduled Caste Association (AIISCA) could not attend the protest as she was reportedly placed under house arrest. In a media statement, she questioned the police action and said demanding justice should not be treated as unconstitutional.

Students’ group ‘Amchi Ladai Amchi Padai’ also condemned the detentions, calling them an attempt to suppress the right to peaceful assembly. The group said it would continue to raise the issue and ensure that the student was not forgotten.