IIT Bombay student death: AANA writes to institute; highlights key demands

Days after the death of an IIT Bombay second year BTech student the Ambedkar Association of North America AANA along with several Ambedkarite and equality organisations have written a letter to the institutes director seeking a series of measures for the studentsThe letter also demands an independent inquiry and greater protection for SCST students on campusThe students was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 hours after he was allegedly found using a phone during a midsemester examinationThe letter points out to the claims of the deceased students parents who have claimed that the student faced casteist remarks and harassmentAn FIR registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act 1989 and provisions relating to abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita names an IIT Bombay faculty memberObjections to statementThe organisation have raised objections to IIT Bombays initial public statement about the circumstances surrounding the studentrsquos removal from the examinationAANA alleged that the statement contributed to online abuse targeting the SCST community It also questioned a subsequent statement by the IIT Bombay SCST Cell that he had not approached the cell with a complaint arguing that the absence of a formal complaint should not be treated as evidence that discrimination did not occurThe letter also refers to a faculty march held on the IIT Bombay campus on September 21 in support of a colleague named in the FIRAANA in the letter wrote ldquoThe Faculty Forum described the allegations against the faculty member as ldquovilificationrdquo and alleged that SCST students had faced targeting following the complaint The organisation further questioned the administrations response to the marchrdquoThese are allegations made in the letter and are not independently established by the press releaseAANA questions public circulation of CCTV footageThe organisations have also questioned how examinationhall CCTV footage came into public circulation According to the letter footage from the examination hall was circulated on social media and was used to portray Wakode as having been ldquocaught cheatingrdquoAANA said footage from other locations including outside the examination hall and the Deans office had not been disclosedIt has asked IIT Bombay to clarify whether it released or authorised the circulation of the footage and to account for how the material reached the public domainAANA highlights key demandsAANA and the organisations have made six broad demands to IIT BombayIIT Bombay must immediately issue a public statement seeking apology from the studentrsquos parentsReconstitute the internal inquiry committeeSecure every piece of evidence and account for the leakProtect students and witnessesRebuild the SCST cell and the support system into one that students can trustFill the reserved faculty postsEnd ldquoNot Found Suitablerdquo and address skewed admission of PhD students from SCST community