MUMBAI: Parents of 20-year-old IIT-Bombay BTech student Sahil Wakode will sit on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan from 10am on Monday, demanding action in connection with his death by suicide on September 18.
Wakode died in his hostel room hours after he was allegedly found with a phone during a mid-semester examination.
In an application to police seeking permission for the fast, his father, Ravindra, demanded the arrest of IIT-Bombay director Shireesh Kedare and Prof Suryanarayana Doolla.
Doolla was Wakode's course instructor and the invigilator during the examination. The family has police permission to hold the fast till 6pm.
The family has alleged caste bias against Doolla in an FIR filed with Powai police. The police investigation is underway, while the institute has also constituted a 10-member committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident.
A large number of institute faculty members have come out in support of Doolla. Following a Board of Governors meeting last Monday, Doolla was sent on leave and temporarily relieved of his duties as dean of administrative affairs pending the investigation.
Protests erupted on the campus following Sahil's death and continued for four days, with a large number of students joining in. After the institute held an open house with students on Monday, September 21, classes resumed on Tuesday.
However, a section of students continued their protest, demanding a fair inquiry and questioning the composition of the institute's inquiry committee. They have demanded a separate inquiry with external members and 50% representation from members of the SC/ST communities.
In a video circulated on Saturday, Ravindra Wakode appealed to campus students to continue their protest.
“...Sahil is gone, but I now request you to sit in protest, even for the benefit of your own career. Support us so that the truth can come out. Don’t let anybody stop you. I will keep fighting even if I lose my life. I request you, if you have any evidence about Sahil, please keep it safe, as it will be very helpful to me in court and the inquiry,” he said.
