MUMBAI: Fresh protests at IIT-Bombay on Saturday morning after a second-year student died by suicide, with students demonstrating through the night and demanding an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.The student’s parents, who are from Yavatmal, reached the campus on Saturday and described the incident as a case of casteism and ‘institutional torture’. They said their son would not have taken such an extreme step and reportedly sought a CID inquiry and action against officials they held responsible for his death.Campus residents will organise a candlelight march later on Saturday, while students said they would continue the protest until substantial action is taken.The student had been caught with a mobile phone during an examination on Friday. Students alleged that he had been threatened with suspension, but IIT-Bombay said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.“The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor and the head of the department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career,” the institute said in a statement issued on Friday night.The mid-semester examinations scheduled for Saturday were postponed. Powai police filed an accidental death report.Institute director Shireesh Kedare interacted with students at the convocation hall in the early hours of Saturday, but students continued their protest near the main gate.The protesters demanded accountability and stronger mental health support on campus. They sought the resignation of the director, dean of student affairs and the examination invigilator who was on duty in the student’s class.Students also demanded an institutional task force to address the incident and an independent inquiry into the last four student suicides, with the findings made public. They called for compulsory mental health sensitisation workshops for professors and measures to improve the functioning and accessibility of the institute’s wellness centres.
