Mumbai: Twenty-two IIT Bombay students, including eight who were allegedly detained twice in a day, were picked up by police from inside the campus on Sunday amid their ongoing protest demanding justice for deceased student Sahil Wakode, student bodies said.
The protesters and student collectives alleged that police used excessive force during the crackdown, accusing personnel of tearing their clothes, kicking and choking them. All detained students were taken to the Powai police station, they said.
Police and IIT Bombay authorities are yet to issue a detailed official statement regarding the scale of the detentions and the allegations of excessive force.
Students have been protesting near the campus gates in the Powai area for a month, raising allegations of caste discrimination and institutional apathy in connection with the death of 22-year-old Wakode. The protests have included a 15-day hunger strike.
The second-year BTech student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, after allegedly being caught cheating during a mid-semester examination. Sunday marked one month since his death, prompting students to plan a memorial and a ‘mashal juloos’ (torchlight procession).
Student representatives alleged that police personnel entered the campus in large numbers in the morning. After an initial detention and brief release, students gathered at the protest site alongside Wakode’s grieving parents to pay tribute, they said.
Protesters alleged that campus security personnel and police subsequently dismantled the protest site and forcibly removed participants. They also claimed that female students were subjected to inappropriate touching and physical assault. A total of 22 students were detained, they said.
The demonstrators also questioned the IIT Bombay administration over the deployment of police inside the campus, asking who had authorised it.
Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad and representatives of several Ambedkarite organisations subsequently reached the spot and staged a demonstration, demanding an immediate meeting with the chairperson of the Board of Governors and the director.
While officials from the Powai police station were not immediately available for comment, the institute authorities were yet to respond to the detentions and allegations of excessive force.
Wakode’s parents have been continuing their hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, demanding action and accountability from the institute administration.
They have accused Professor Suryanarayana Doolla of harassment and caste-based discrimination. Earlier this month, police questioned Doolla for nearly 10 hours in connection with the case.