IIT Bombay student death: Maharashtra minister says caste angle being politicised
A Maharashtra minister has alleged that politicians are giving a casteist colour to the IIT Bombay student's suicide case. The remark comes amid protests, a police case against a professor and demands for a fast-track probe.
Maharashtra minister and Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik on Tuesday alleged that some politicians were trying to give a casteist colour to the death by suicide of an IIT Bombay student, even as the case continued to draw protests and calls for a speedy investigation.
Sahil Ravindra Wakode, 22, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on IIT Bombay's Powai campus on the evening of September 18. His death has led to student protests and a police case against a professor under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint by his parents alleging caste discrimination and harassment.
"His father has complained about the casteist angle. Some political people are trying to give casteist colour to the issue. This is wrong. This should not happen in the education sector," Sarnaik said.
Shiv Sena spokesperson Shaina NC said the crime branch was properly carrying out its investigation in the case. She also demanded that the case be fast-tracked so that justice could be delivered to the student's family.
IIT Bombay on Monday removed Suryanarayana Doolla as dean of Administrative Affairs after protests by students and political activists over Wakode's death. A case of abetment and caste discrimination had been registered against him.
According to investigators, CCTV cameras inside the examination hall captured Wakode's movements before a professor approached him and led him away from other students after he was allegedly caught copying. Later footage showed him walking across the campus to his hostel room after leaving the examination hall. He was not seen leaving his room after that.
Earlier, IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Dr Rajkumar Pant had said that the student had not approached the institute's SC/ST cell with any complaint in the recent past. The case has since led to protests, political reactions and an ongoing investigation into the allegations made by Wakode's family.