IIT-B suicide cases: Parents meet Rahul Gandhi, seek intervention

The meeting was attended by the parents of the second-year BTech student who died by suicide on September 18 and another student who died by suicide in 2014

Mumbai: Parents of two Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) students who died by suicide met Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in Delhi on Thursday, seeking their intervention in the investigations into their children’s deaths.

The meeting was attended by the parents of the second-year BTech student at IIT Bombay who died by suicide on September 18 and another student who died by suicide in 2014. (HT Photo)

The meeting was attended by the parents of the second-year BTech student who died by suicide on September 18 and another student who died by suicide in 2014. Gandhi assured the families that he and his party would extend all possible help in their fight for justice, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, who was also present, told reporters.

The discussion lasted around an hour and a half, during which the parents raised concerns over alleged caste-based discrimination and the lack of action by the police and the institute.They also called for systemic changes at IIT-B to prevent such tragedies in the future, Gaikwad said.

“We told Rahul Gandhi everything about the cases. He assured the families that he stands with them and that he and the Congress will extend all possible help. We also gave him a presentation about IIT Bombay and raised concerns over the deaths of students on campus. We have demanded a proper investigation and justice for the students,” Gaikwad said.

The meeting took place over a month after a 20-year-old Dalit student died by suicide in his hostel room after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. His parents have disputed the allegation and claimed that their son had faced months of caste-based discrimination and harassment at the institute.

The family has sought the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination, and IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare. An FIR has already been registered against them under the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for abetment of suicide.

“It has been one-and-a-half months, but the investigating officers are not fully cooperating,” the deceased student’s father told reporters. “We want a proper inquiry and demand the arrest of those found responsible based on its findings. That is why we approached Rahul Gandhi.” The Congress leader had earlier spoken to the family over the phone on September 24.