IIT Bombay student suicide: Protesting students begin hunger strike at Justice Corner
Here's the latest protest news from across India:
IIT Bombay students protesting for the last 15 days over the September 18 death of a second-year B.Tech student began a hunger strike at Justice Corner on Friday, demanding action from the institute and accountability from its administration. The hunger strike comes days after the student’s parents, who are also on hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, were denied police permission to continue their protest on weekends.
Adding to this, The hunger strike began after 15 days of protests over the September 18 death of a second-year BTech student at IIT Bombay, with students seeking justice and accountability. (Raju Shinde/HT Photo) Their agitation began after a second-year B.Tech student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 after allegedly being caught cheating during a mid-semester exam.
Meanwhile, The students marched towards the main gate and raised demands including the resignation of IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare and professor Suryanarayana Doolla. According to the protesting students, the director did not meet them at the main gate to hear their concerns.
Notably, The students continued their protest through the night and held discussions among themselves on issues affecting student life on campus and presented an 18-point charter of demands to the administration, including an independent, transparent investigation into the student’s death, changes to the inquiry committee appointed by the institute, the resignation of IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare, and the suspension of professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been accused of caste-based discrimination by the deceased student’s parents.
As per the latest buzz, The students shared they believe that any change can begin only when the institute accepts its failures and takes responsibility. They alleged that although the director made promises during the initial meetings, the administration has not officially responded to their demands.
In further updates, During the 14 days of protest, students have also held discussions on mental health, student-teacher relationships, placement pressure, evaluation systems and dealing with loss on campus. They shared the protest has provided a space for students from different batches, departments and programmes to discuss issues affecting them.
On top of that, The students shared they will continue their struggle through the hunger strike. They shared the decision was taken to highlight their demand for justice and accountability from the institute.
The deceased student’s parents also continued their hunger strike on Wednesday, remaining firm on their demand for the arrest of Kedare and Doolla. The parents’ advocate, Nikhil Kamble, shared they would continue their hunger strike at Azad Maidan after getting permission from the police.
Source: Hindustan Times