Parents of Sahil Wakode began an indefinite hunger strike on September 24 at Azad Maidan, demanding the arrest of officials named in the First Information Report (FIR) related to the student’s death.
“Those who tortured my son should be put behind bars. He had told us that he repeatedly faced caste discrimination at the institute,” Sahil’s father, Ravindra, said.
The investigation is underway, while Sahil’s phone remains inaccessible due to its pattern lock. Several missed calls were visible on the device, but it is yet to be established who made or received those calls.
Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, Sahil’s parents, alleged that he faced casteist slurs and discrimination at the institute and had complained to them about the same.
The parents had earlier met Kishor Makwana, chairperson of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC), and submitted their demands to the commission.
The commission has taken suo motu cognizance of the matter, filed a complaint and said it would investigate the case.
Sahil, a 22-year-old BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, died by suicide on September 18, hours after he was caught cheating during an examination. He was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room on the institute’s Powai campus.
The case was transferred to the Crime Branch on September 19, a day after the student’s death, amid widespread protests on the campus.
Sahil’s parents demanded the immediate arrest of named faculty member Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedare on Tuesday.
Following discussions with the Mumbai Police, the parents agreed to begin their hunger strike at Azad Maidan. They had earlier insisted on protesting outside the IIT Bombay campus.
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The FIR charges IIT Bombay faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla with abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination. He has also been charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Doolla was removed from the post of Dean of Administrative Affairs after protests by students and political activists emerged on the campus.
