00:00But the story that we are breaking, the big story we've been tracking for the last day,
00:04the divide that has widened across India's IIT after a student committed death by suicide
00:10at IIT Mumbai's campus. Sahil Wakode, the student who committed suicide, his parents have now held
00:17a protest just outside the IIT Bombay campus. They want the arrest of the IIT professor who
00:23they claim had discriminated on caste lines against their son. Parents alleging caste
00:29discrimination. However, the faculty has come out strongly in support of the professor saying
00:34there was absolutely no question of any caste discrimination. And in fact, it was a case
00:39of exam malpractices. The police have filed a fire under section of the SCST Prevention of
00:46Atrocities Act. Faculty members who come out in support are insisting that this should not be
00:52seen as a case of caste discrimination. How is the issue playing out? It's going to be our big
00:58talking point tonight. But first, take a look at all that's happened, dividing the IITs in the country.
01:0720-year-old IIT student Sahil Wakode's death by suicide has triggered protests and counter-protest
01:13in Mumbai. Sahil's parents are alleging caste discrimination. They are demanding the immediate
01:19arrest of Professor Surya Narayanadula, who was the invigilator in the examination hall that
01:24Sahil was asked to leave. Sahil's parents alleged that Professor Dula made casteist remarks and that
01:30Sahil was being pressured by him since last year.
01:59The police have already filed an F.I.R. under BNS. The police have already filed an F.I.R.
02:02under BNS.
02:02and the SCST Prevention of Atrocities Act. Investigators are examining CCTV footage from
02:08the examination centre to ascertain if Sahil was found cheating during the exam. The crime branch
02:13has scanned footage not just from the exam hall, but also from the campus grounds and hostel area,
02:19piecing together Sahil's movements. Crime branch sources say CCTV captures Sahil chatting inside the
02:25examination hall and then being taken out of the venue. He is then seen walking towards his hostel,
02:30but is not seen leaving the building afterwards. Students continued their protests outside the IIT
02:37Bombay campus, urging stringent action. The IIT Bombay students have also issued a statement saying
02:42that while they do not condone exam misconduct, Sahil's death has compelled them to reflect on the
02:47systems within the institute.
03:00This is not an isolated event. This is not an isolated suicide. This is the second suicide
03:05within the past two months and the fourth suicide in the last year, out of which three suicides
03:10were Dalit cases.
03:11IIT Bombay faculty members have rallied behind the professor, rejecting claims of caste-based
03:16discrimination and maintaining that Professor Dula followed the prescribed procedure.
03:45Faculty forums at IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have also expressed solidarity with Professor Dula,
03:50calling for fair investigation and cautioning against public vilification.
03:56Amid conflicting statements, politicians have entered the fray as well. Republican Party
04:02of India Workers as well as the Congress SDSD cell held protests outside IIT Bombay.
04:28With allegations of caste discrimination on one side and claims of due procedure on the other,
04:33investigators are trying to piece together what exactly happened inside the examination hall.
04:38Why was Sahil taken out and was there any other factor in those crucial hours that drove him
04:43to take his life?
04:44With Mustafa Sheikh, Bureau Report, India Today.
Comments