Mumbai Police detained protesters outside the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay’s main gate in Powai on Sunday and took at least 16 students from inside the campus in a police bus, according to students quoted by Mid-Day. The action followed a protest seeking accountability in the death of 20-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode, who was found dead in his hostel room on September 18.
The protest was organised by several student groups, including the All India Students’ Association, the All India Students’ Federation and the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association. The groups were demanding justice and action in connection with Wakode’s death.
Students said the protesters who were detained were being taken to a police station located farther from Powai. The circumstances surrounding the detentions and the identity of the police station were not immediately clear in the report. Further details about the number of protesters detained and the grounds cited for the police action were also unavailable.
Wakode’s parents, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, visited the IIT Bombay campus on Sunday for the first time since their son’s death. They were accompanied by a delegation. The couple has been on hunger strike at Azad Maidan for more than 15 days, seeking accountability and action in the case.
Ravindra Wakode has filed a first information report invoking provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and abetment to suicide. His statement names IIT Bombay director Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. The allegations have not been established, and the report does not indicate that either named individual has been arrested.
The family and protesters have been demanding the immediate arrest of the director and the professor. They have also sought a fair investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death and a meeting with the head of IIT Bombay’s Board of Governors.
Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad and MLA Aslam Shaikh were present on the campus during the protest. The parents and a delegation entered the institute, while students said the parents were later seated at the Justice Corner near the main gate. Students also said that IIT Bombay’s director was seen on campus.
The family has claimed that the institute’s investigative committee has not contacted them. The report did not provide a response from IIT Bombay or Mumbai Police to the allegations, the detention of protesters or the students’ account of where they were being taken. Developments concerning the protest, the police action and the family’s demands are awaited.
