Mumbai, Sep 19 (IANS) After the death of a second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, a case has been registered against his teacher Satyanarayan Dalla, Mumbai Police said on Saturday.
According to officials, a complaint has also been filed against faculty members, senior officials, and other IIT authorities under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and SC/ST Act.
Further investigation in the case is underway
The student was found dead in the IIT Powai campus on Friday evening. This reportedly happened after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination by the authorities. His death a few hours after that incident triggered protests by students on the institute’s Powai campus.
The deceased student was identified as Sahil Wakode, a resident of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal, who was pursuing his second year in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.
Earlier on Saturday, the student’s father alleged that “caste-based discrimination” and “harassment” led his son to commit suicide, while appealing to the government to take strict action against those responsible for the incident.
Speaking to IANS, Sahil’s father Ravindra Wakode said: “I appeal for a thorough investigation of those who pushed him towards suicide through harassment and caste-based abuse. I urge the government to ensure justice for my child by terminating those responsible for this incident.”
He claimed that the student was depressed due to “harassment” at the campus.
“I could see it in his ( Sahil Wakode’s) behaviour that because of the torture he faced, he was pushed into depression,” he said.
Ravindra Wakode added: “There was no conversation at all (with the student). We only tried to make our child understand, telling him to push through this time, that his career would turn out fine. But now, we are the ones suffering the loss. Whoever is responsible for his death must be punished severely. My only request to the government is that prompt action be taken immediately against those responsible.”
In a statement, IIT Bombay expressed grief over the student’s death and said it was providing support to those affected by the incident.
“The Institute is extending support to the student’s friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident,” it said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the death were being examined by the appropriate authorities.
Meanwhile, a group of students gathered on the campus and launched a protest following the incident, alleging that the administration had not disclosed all details surrounding the circumstances of the student’s death.
–IANS
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