Fathima Latheef, a 19-year-old first-year student of MA, humanities and development studies (integrated), studying in IIT Madras was found hanging in her hostel room in Chennai on Saturday morning.
The police registered a case of unnatural death and said that no suicide note was found. They suspected she may have killed herself after getting low internal marks.
However, her father Abdul Latheef has sent out a petition to the Prime Minister seeking justice. He has mentioned a note in her cell phone which names her professors as the cause of her death.
Her father has also appealed the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan seeking the state government’s intervention in Tamil Nadu police’s investigation of the case and ensuring a fair probe.
IIT Madras released a statement expressing grief and sadness over the girl's death.
"IIT Madras faculty, staff and students extend their deepest condolences to the family, friends and other near and dear ones of the deceased student. This is indeed an irreparable loss to the institute and the family. May her soul rest in peace." They also said added that are feeling bad because of social media trolling.
However, Abdul Lateef accused IIT Madras officials of giving "contradictory statements" to "cover up" the matter.
The case further snowballed into a political controversy with her family alleging that she ended her life following religious harassment by her professors.
On Thursday multiple students and political organisations staged demonstrations inside and outside the IIT Madras campus accusing the institution of discriminating students on religious grounds and demanded the arrest of a professor of Philosophy.
After visiting the campus, Chennai Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan said a team comprising senior police office Eswaramurthy, who has had a stint with the CBI, will now probe the case.
DMK president MK Stalin said it was a shame that Fathima's family felt that their trust that Tamil Nadu was a safe state lies shattered after her death. He along with MDMK leader Vaiko and other leaders demanded an independent investigation into her death.
Twitter is calling this death as an institutional murder and the one in a series of Rohtih Vemula and Payal Tadvi.
Rohith Vemula, a PhD scholar at the University of Hyderabad, also succumbed to casteist excesses in the university.
Payal Tadvi, a junior doctor had also commited suicide on May 22 in her hostel room at BYL Nair hospital, Mumbai following caste-based harassment.
