Fathima Latheef Suicide Case: IIT-M students are on Hunger Strike

Fathima Latheef death echoes in parliament and IIT students are on hunger strike.

Fathima Latheef may be dead on 9 November in IIT Madras, but she is now the household name across India. Today on the first day of the winter parliament session, her name was sounded loud and clear for everyone to hear. This innocent class topper joined Madras IIT, considering it to be safe, was found dead in her room. Her native place Kollam MP and Kani Mozhi MP asked to probe on her death in the parliament today.

The Kollam MP said that the Tamil Nadu police had registered a case against Fathima’s parents on the complaint of IIT of tarnishing their name. But no FIR until now against those mentioned by Fathima as responsible for her death in her mobile. Now eleven IIT students are on a hunger strike inside the IIT campus with two of them on indefinite hunger strike.

Rohith Vemula of the Hyderabad University, the mysterious disappearance of Najeeb Ahmed from the prestigious Jawaharlal University, and many such incidents are happening since 2016. Even in AIIMS, Tamil Nadu doctor student Saravanan was killed, and investigations are still going on. Fathima Latheef is not the first to die in Madras IIT. She is the fifth victim, fourth among students apart from one IIT professor. No proof of any stringent action taken by the police or the IIT authorities so far. What is happening in IIT Madras?

Father of Fathima, has complained to the Tamil Nadu DGP of the IIT washing their hands of his daughter's death on the campus. He also said that the principal had failed to hand over the CCTV footage, as he promised. There was no response from the institute even while handing over his daughter's dead body.

Fathima's mother was anguished and told that only believing Tamil Nadu to be a safe place compared to other IITs in India, and she had put her daughter to study in Madras IIT. Everyone knows what happened and what is happening in the educational institutions across India. But is this the way we treat the faith of a mother to a brilliant young student from other states. Why are there no actions for all the 52 deaths in premier institutes alone in India for the past ten years? When will all this stop and our children can be safe in institutes? Only time can answer all the questions.