Overview
- The student, identified in coverage as Sahil Wakode, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, prompting campus unrest and demands for accountability.
- After roughly two weeks of sit-ins and discussions, hundreds of students started a hunger strike at the institute’s Justice Corner on Friday, Oct. 2, to escalate their call for action.
- Protesters presented detailed demands that include suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, the resignation of Director Shireesh Kedare, dissolution and reconstitution of the institute inquiry panel, and the setting up of an independent external investigation.
- Sahil’s parents are also on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan and have reported a case under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act while Ambedkarite groups and a Congress MP have urged a fast-track, independent probe and state intervention.
- Students are pressing specific institutional reforms to prevent recurrence, asking for transparent changes to the Student Welfare Committee, the Disciplinary Action Committee, and the SC/ST Cell so grievance handling, disciplinary records, and caste-protection measures are publicly accountable.