Mumbai: VBA Workers Detained During Protest Demanding Action in IIT Bombay Student Suicide Case

On Sunday, Mumbai Police have arrested students and parents of IIT Bombay student, Sahil Wakode, who died of suspected suicide last month, outside the institute premises in the midst of a protest demonstration to mark the eve of one month of the student's death.

On September 18, IIT Bombay second-year student, Wakode committed suicide. He was allegedly caught using the mobile phone during his mid-term exam that led to the suicide as per officials.

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But on Sunday, Ambedkar students from IIT Bombay and other organisations joined the protest outside the campus demanding justice for the student's “institutional murder”. The students demanding justice have laid down a number of demands before the administration such as the need for an independent investigation, changes in the mechanism to address student grievances, changes in examination and disciplinary procedures, and a number of measures relating to student safety.

Later, parents of Wakode, local Congress leaders, Varsha Gaikwad and Aslam Shaikh, joined the protesters. According to reports, a heavy police force was deployed at the scene and the protesters, including Wakode's parents, were arrested.

Deepali Salve, the Maharashtra General Secretary of the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association(AIISCA), which had called for the ‘Chalo IIT Bombay' protest, said that they had been picked up at three different police stations – Sakinaka police station, Powai police station and Azad Maidan police station – where Wakode's parents had been taken.

In a post, Salve called for everyone to gather at Azad Maidan Police Station.

Previously, Salve claimed that Wakode's parents were “dragged and detained” during the questioning of the heavy presence of police in the peaceful protest.

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The AIISCA leader also claimed that the students were "brutally handled" by the Mumbai Police and alleged that women protesters were dragged, touched on their "private parts" and beaten by the police.

They were rounded up by the police in the peaceful protest and “taken to an unknown place”, said AIISCA Founder Rahul Sonpimple.

Prof Suryanarayana Doolla of IIT Bombay has been accused of caste-based discrimination and humiliating treatment of deceased Sahil Wakode by his parents Ravindra and Sonali who have been on a hunger strike at the Azad Maidan protest camp demanding justice for their son for several months. They have been asking the police to arrest Professor Doolla and Director of the IIT B Shirish Kedare.

Prof Kedare and Prof Doolla, who were booked into the Mumbai Police for several hours recently, have denied the allegations.

In the course of the investigation, the crime wing of the Mumbai Police has taken statements from almost 40 individuals who included parents, students, friends and the staff of the institute and hostels in the case of the suicide.

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