Mumbai: Protests continued outside IIT Bombay on Wednesday, days after the death of second-year student Sahil Wakode, as the institute restricted campus entry for outsiders. Meanwhile the panel set up by IIT Bombay is expected to present the report in a week.
IIT Panel Report Expected Within A Week
Youth Congress workers and members of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) raised slogans outside the campus, while a handful of IIT Bombay students continued a sit-in inside. "We demand that Prof Doolla should be stripped off his Professorship until then we will continue to protest," said a student.
While the institute has released the revised timetable of the mid-semester exams which were cancelled after unrest stirred among the students after the incident. The exams will begin of September 25.
At a “Justice for Sahil” demonstration, Sujaat Ambedkar, a VBA leader described Wakode’s death as “nothing but institutional murder". The remark is the protester’s allegation; the circumstances of Wakode’s death remain under investigation.
Political Groups Raise Allegations At Protest
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) called for a thorough investigation and said action should be taken against anyone found responsible after the inquiry. ABVP national general secretary Virendra Singh Solanki said taking action before establishing the facts would not be appropriate.
Wakode’s parents had been expected to begin a fast on Wednesday, but the protest was called off. No reason for the decision had been clarified by the family at the time of reporting.
The restrictions of entry to Powai campus extended to food deliveries, with students asked to walk to the main gate to collect their orders.
Inside the institute, students have pressed an 18-point charter of demands covering an independent inquiry, grievance redressal and mental health services. IIT Bombay has set up a panel with student representatives to address concerns relating to psychological support.
Details Of IIT Bombay Inquiry Committee
The committee is headed by Prof Ramesh Venkateswaran, chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT-Palakkad. It includes faculty members, students, an administrator, a former vigilance officer and a psychiatrist.
Among the IIT-Bombay faculty members on the panel are Prof K Narayanan from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof Sandip Kumar Saha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Prof Deepti Kalsi from the Department of Chemistry. Prof Saha is also the convener of the institute’s SC/ST Students and Staff Cell.
Three students have also been included in the committee — Aditya Joshi, general secretary of hostel affairs, Dev Arora, overall coordinator of the Student Mentor Programme, and research scholar Devi Lal.
The other members are retired IAS officer Vishwanath Giriraj, former institute vigilance officer Prof K G Suresh from the Department of Physics and psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty.
The institute has sent Professor Suryanarayana Doolla over a week-long leave and has been relieved from the administrative post as Dean of Administrative Affairs. Students have continued to seek further action.
Wakode’s family has alleged that he faced caste-based harassment. The Mumbai Police crime branch is investigating the case, including events surrounding an examination before his death.
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