IIT Bombay Student's Parents Begin Hunger Strike At Azad Maidan

Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, the parents of the IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode who died by suicide at his hostel campus room, will stage a hunger strike if the IIT Bombay officials named in the case FIR related to their son's death are not arrested.

On September 18, the 22-year-old second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room on the Powai campus.

A day later, on September 19, the student's death case was transferred to the Crime Branch for further probe following widespread student protests on campus.

Sahil, from Maharashtra's Yavatmal, had complained to his parents that he was being subjected to caste slurs and being discriminated against.

On Tuesday, Sahil's parents visited the Mumbai Crime Branch, demanding the immediate arrest of named faculty member Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedare.

After initially insisting on demonstrating outside the IIT campus gates, Sahil Wakode's parents have agreed to begin their hunger strike at the designated site in Azad Maidan following discussions with the Mumbai Police.

Exact timing is yet to be confirmed, sources close to the family indicate that the protest will start today.

Faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla has been named in the FIR in the case, which alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination. He has been charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

IIT Bombay has removed Suryanarayana Doolla as the dean of Administrative Affairs following protests by students and political activists over Sahil's alleged suicide.