Parents of IIT-B student to protest outside CM’s residence from Dec 7

IIT-Bombay student’s parents plan a Dec. 7 protest outside CM Fadnavis’s residence, alleging caste bias and seeking justice over his death.

Mumbai: The parents of the IIT-Bombay student, who allegedly died by suicide on September 18, said on Wednesday that they will hold protests outside chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’s residence in Nagpur from December 7, during the winter session of the Maharashtra legislature.

Maharashtra-CM-Devendra-Fadnavis-along-with-Sena-chief-Uddhav-Thackeray-and-his-sons-Tejas-and-Aditya-during-the-swearing-in-ceremony-for-the-new-ministers-from-Sena-in-Mumbai-PTI-photo

The parents made the announcement during a media interaction in Yavatmal. They had been protesting at Azad Maidan in Mumbai for over a month, alleging caste-based discrimination on the campus. They also alleged that no government representative had met with them or discussed their demands.

In the press conference, the father said, “We have been protesting for justice for our son for a long time, but there has been no satisfactory action so far. We want a fair and transparent investigation into his death and strict action against those responsible. We will continue our protest until justice is delivered. If we do not get justice, we will intensify our protest outside the chief minister’s residence in Nagpur starting December 7 during the winter session of the state legislature.”

The student allegedly died by suicide hours after he was pulled up for allegedly using a mobile phone during an examination on September 18. Students protesting on the campus alleged the victim was asked to leave the examination hall and threatened with disciplinary action, including suspension. The institute said that “no disciplinary action was initiated against the student”.

The parents have sought the arrest of IIT-Bombay director Shireesh Kedare and former Dean of Student Affairs, Satyanarayan Dulla.

The Mumbai Crime Branch is probing the case. The deceased’s family recently met Maharashtra Director General of Police (DGP) Sadanand Date to flag alleged discrepancies in the case.

The parents claimed that the handwriting on an apology letter purportedly written by their son after he was allegedly caught cheating did not match his writing. They have also questioned the absence of the third page of his mid-semester examination answer sheet.

They approached the Board of Governors of IIT-Bombay, seeking a copy of the interim report from the committee the institute appointed to investigate the student’s death. The father claimed the committee is yet to contact the family to record its views.

The family recently met Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and raised concerns about the alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination faced by their son. They also approached the Bombay high court, seeking a change in the investigating officer (IO), alleging that the investigation is not proceeding fairly.

The FIR, registered based on the parents’ complaint, names institute officials and has been filed under section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.