IIT Bombay student death probe: Parents spend eight hours at crime branch office

Investigation Update

Parents of the late IIT Bombay student spent eight hours at the Bandra West office of the Mumbai Crime Branch on Friday. They reached the office at 10 am and left around 6 pm. The Crime Branch has recorded statements from 20 people so far in this case. The probe has brought fresh attention to student deaths by suicide across the country. Police are trying to unlock the deceased student's mobile phone as part of the ongoing investigation. The phone has a pattern lock, and forensic experts are working to open the device. The student studied in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. On September 18, he left an exam hall and went to his hostel room, where he was later found dead.

Allegations And Protests

The parents allege their son faced caste-based bias at the institute. They staged a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Thursday. The parents want the arrest of IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare and Dean of Student Affairs Satyanarayan Dulla. An FIR has been filed against the institute under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Caste and the Scheduled Tribe Act. IIT Bombay faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla is named in the police FIR for alleged abetment to suicide due to caste bias, and he has been sent on leave for a fair probe. Earlier, the institute stated the student was caught using ChatGPT on his mobile phone during an exam. On Thursday, police stopped the parents near the IIT campus gate during a protest and took them to Sahyadri Guest House to meet National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairperson Kishor Makwana.