IIT-B suicide: Parents insist on arrest of IIT Bombay director, professor; warn of hunger strike if no action taken

The parents also said that if no arrests were made by Tuesday night, they would launch a hunger strike at the institute from Wednesday.

Parents of the IIT Bombay (IIT-B) student who died by suicide on September 18 are insisting on the arrest of the institute’s director, Shireesh Kedare, and Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, as well as others named in the First Information Report (FIR) filed with the police.

The Bhartiya Vidharthi Morcha staged a protest near the IIT Bombay gate on Tuesday, demanding a high-level inquiry into the alleged suicide (Praful Gangurde/HT Photo)

Addressing the media outside the Mumbai Crime Branch, where they recorded their statements on Tuesday, they said justice would be served only if the alleged caste-based harassment at the institute’s campus at Powai is also investigated.

Later, at the IIT campus, the parents also said that if no arrests were made by Tuesday night, they would launch a hunger strike at the institute from Wednesday.

Their son, a second year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide on September 18 afer he was allegedly caught cheating in a mid-semeste exam by Prof Doolla, his teacher and exam supervisor. The boy’s parents have since alleged harassment on campus, including caste-based discrimination, with Doolla being booked under Section 108 of the BNS for abetment to suicide.

“We have faith in the Crime Branch and the Constitution of India. We are only urging that the people responsible for my son’s death be arrested immediately. Only then will he get justice,” said the father of the deceased, a consultant for co-operative housing societies.

Refuting the charge that his son was caught copying, his father said, “If the institute says he copied, they must prove it. Initially, the institute alleged that he had copied and later there were allegations about the use of artificial intelligence. The institute then apologised for its communication. This means there was something wrong with the allegation.”

IIT-B issued a statement on Monday, apologising for commenting on details of the alleged copying incident while the case is under investigation. It has not apologised for claiming the boy had copied, per se.

The parents also claimed their son had spoken to them about alleged caste-based discrimination when they visited him a few days before he died by suicide. They had not gauged the seriousness of the situation, they claimed.

“After entering his second year, he started facing difficulties. When he told us caste-based comments were being made against him and that he was being tortured, we should have brought him home. He might have been saved,” the father said, stating that he had submitted evidence to the police on Tuesday.

They claimed they had initially encouraged their son to continue his studies, as securing admission to IIT-Bombay was not easy. “Now, we feel we should have taken his complaints more seriously,” his father said.

The mother of the deceased added, “If you look at past cases of suicides at IIT-Bombay, you will find that several students were from reserved categories,” said the mother of the deceased, who is a secondary school teacher with the Shivajirao Moghe High School in their hometown, Yavatmal.

Meanwhile, relatives of the deceased student are holding protests outside the family’s home in Yavatmal, demanding justice.

Crime Branch starts probe

The Mumbai Crime Branch has started its investigation into the IIT-B student’s suicide by recording the statements of his parents on Tuesday. They have taken the boy’s mobile handset into their custody, although they will need the help of experts to unlock it.

Among the evidence being collected is CCTV footage showing events inside the examination hall, where the deceased was allegedly caught cheating. Cameras have captured a professor approaching the boy and escorting him away after the alleged cheating incident. Later, the boy is seen walking to the hostel and entering his room, where he was found dead later that day.

Police said the family has reiterated their allegation that Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who reported the boy’s alleged cheating to the institute’s authorities, had subjected their son to caste-based discrimination.

The couple told the police that their son had secured a good all-India rank in the Joint Entrance Exam and was targeted as he belonged to a lower caste. They claimed he had told them about the caste-based harassment on September 13.

“We have taken the deceased’s phone and are gathering other electronic evidence, like CCTV footage from the hostel and examination centre. We are also searching for witnesses,” said a senior police officer.

He said they will check whether the deceased was using artificial intelligence to allegedly cheat during the exam after they open his phone and check his browsing history.

Police have also written to the SC/ST Cell and Student Counselling Centre at the IIT-B to find out if the deceased student had complained about the alleged caste-based harassment his parents were referring to.

“Only after collecting evidence will we summon the IIT-B professors,” said the officer.