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Jignesh Mevani demands SIT probe in death of IIT-Bombay student
Jignesh Mevani said the Dalit community has given a call for a nationwide candle march on February 19 in support of the IIT-Bombay student who allegedly died by suicide
Gujarat Congress MLA and convenor of the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch, Jignesh Mevani on Thursday demanded probe by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the death of a student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Bombay on Sunday to find out whether it was a case of suicide or murder.
The legislator from Vadgam said the Dalit community has given a call for a nationwide candle march on February 19 in support of the 18-year-old BTech (chemical) student, who died allegedly after jumping off the eighth floor of his hostel building at the Powai campus of the institute on Sunday afternoon.
Mevani said the community suspects it to be a case of murder, caste discrimination or ragging.
A Mumbai police team visited the student’s house in Ahmedabad on Thursday to record the statements of his family members in connection with his death. The family had earlier said that they suspect it to be a murder, alleging that he had faced caste discrimination at the premier institute.
On Tuesday, the institute said it has always tried to ensure the campus is as inclusive as possible, with zero tolerance towards any form of discrimination.
Union minister of state for social justice Ramdas Athawale visited the campus on Wednesday and demanded a thorough probe into the matter and allegations of caste discrimination.
Mevani said the government should form an SIT comprising “non-corrupt police officers with integrity” to conduct a probe into the case and to find out the truth.
He said that the deceased was a bright student who managed to secure admission in the prestigious institute and he was probably a victim of the similar form of discrimination experienced by Rohith Vemula and Payal Tadvi.
Vemula, a research scholar of the University of Hyderabad, allegedly hanged himself in a hostel room in 2016 and Tadvi, a second-year gynaecology student of TN Topiwala National Medical College in Mumbai, allegedly died by suicide in her hostel room in 2019.
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