Parents of IIT Bombay student who died by suicide go on hunger strike, call for action against his 'tormentors'

The student was found dead on the evening of September 18, hours after he was pulled up for using a mobile phone during an examination, police said.

The parents of an IIT-Bombay student, who allegedly died by suicide last week, began an indefinite hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday evening after meeting the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC).

Following the reported suicide of a Btech student at IIT Bombay in Mumbai, heavy police security was deployed on the IIT Bombay campus on Tuesday. (Praful Gangurde)

The student was found dead on the evening of September 18, hours after he was pulled up for using a mobile phone during an examination, police said.

The IIT-Bombay students alleged the victim was asked to leave the examination hall and threatened with disciplinary action, including suspension. The institute refuted the charges and said the student was assured that the incident would not have any adverse impact on his career.

The parents have sought the arrest of IIT-Bombay director Shireesh Kedare and Dean of Student Affairs Satyanarayan Dulla. A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against the institute under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.

Advocate Siddharth Ingale and Nikhil Kamble, who are providing legal aid to the parents, said that Makwana had asked the parents whether they had faith in the ongoing investigation. At that time, the parents raised concerns over the CCTV footage related to the student’s death.

The parents questioned how the CCTV footage of the exam on September 18, which was circulated among the media and which they described as “important evidence” in the case, became available publicly.

The parents told the commission that they wanted a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the circumstances surrounding the circulation of the footage.

The parents submitted their representation to the NCSC during the meeting at the Sahyadri Guest House. They also reiterated their demand for action against those named in the case and sought that the investigation be handed over to the CBI. The parents also demanded an independent inquiry into the video leak.

After the meeting, the parents returned to Azad Maidan and continued their indefinite hunger strike. They said they would remain on hunger strike until the arrest of professor Suryanarayana Doolla and their other demands were addressed.