Parents of IIT Bombay student who died by suicide go on hunger strike, call for action against his 'tormentors'

The parents of a deceased IIT Bombay student have begun hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, seeking action against 'tormentors'.

The 20-year-old BTech student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination.

"Those who tortured my son should be put behind bars. He had told us that he repeatedly faced caste discrimination at the institute," thefather said, according to PTI.

The parents met met the National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman in Mumbai and submitted a memorandum, seeking speedy investigation into their son's death.

Hours before they were scheduled to begin their hunger strike outside IIT Bombay’s Powai campus, the family alleged that they were forcibly taken out of Mumbai in a private car against their wishes early Wednesday and driven to Washim district, around 555 km from Mumbai.

The family said they had wanted to remain in Mumbai and begin their protest outside IIT Bombay on Wednesday morning, demanding the immediate arrest of two named faculty members — professor Suryanarayana Doolla and institute director Shireesh Kedare.

In a video shared on social media that has since gone viral, the family alleged that they repeatedly asked the driver where they were being taken. According to the family, the driver kept telling them he was taking them home. They said they were tired and sleepy at the time.