Mumbai, 24 Sept (HS): On Thursday, police detained Congress

MP Varsha Gaikwad along with numerous party workers and NSUI activists who

gathered outside IIT Bombay to show support for the family of student Sahil

Wakode, who reportedly took his own life, an official stated. While addressing

reporters at the protest, Gaikwad blamed the governing bodies for damaging the

education system and labeled the occurrence as an “institutional murder.” She

insisted on a thorough investigation into the events leading to Wakode’s

death.The Mumbai Congress chief stated that students encounter humiliation and

challenges, particularly if they belong to a specific caste or

religion.This isn't the first occurrence at IIT. We seek accountability,”

she stated, charging the RSS with “infiltrating” institutions of higher

education.

Gaikwad accused the

BJP and RSS of harming the education system, noting that such incidents are occurring repeatedly. Wakode (22), a

second-year BTech student at IIT Bombay, was discovered hanging in his hostel room on the

evening of September 18, just hours after he was reportedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester exam. His parents have claimed discrimination and harassment based on

caste, whereas the institute has challenged these accusations.

Gaikwad, along with other Congress activists and National Students’ Union of

India (NSUI) members, held a protest outside the institute’s Powai campus

on Thursday. Police arrested Congress workers prior to their protest starting outside

the institute's Powai campus and subsequently took Gaikwad into custody when she arrived

at the location. A police

official stated that the

parliamentarian and numerousother activists, including female workers, were apprehended and brought to the local police station for further legal proceedings.

At the protest,

Gaikwad showed support for Wakode’s family and called for a comprehensive investigation into his death. Rahul Gandhi,

the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has communicated with Wakode’s parents and promised them assistance in their pursuit

of justice, she stated. Gandhi placed a video call to the parents of Wakode while they were traveling to Mumbai from Washim district. During

the nearly 17-minute conversation,

Gandhi reassured Sahil's parents that

he was there for them and promised

them assistance, they stated.

Gaikwad mentioned that Congress is fully

united with the family of the deceased student, while Rahul Gandhi has promised them every possible assistance. The matter

is with the Crime Branch. Gaikwad stated that a thorough investigation is necessary, and the family deserves justice. She claimed that students endure

humiliation and challenges due to their

caste or religion, and stated that this issue required examination as an institutional concern.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi