Mumbai: The father of a student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has filed a formal complaint with the local police, accusing a senior professor and other individuals at the institute of orchestrated harassment, caste-based discrimination, and sustained mental torture that ultimately led to his son's suicide.
According to the complaint lodged at the Powai police station, the deceased student, who was pursuing research at the institute, had been facing persistent mistreatment from a senior faculty member over a considerable period. The father alleged that the harassment was rooted in caste prejudice and included verbal abuse, professional sabotage, and psychological intimidation that left the student increasingly isolated and distressed.
The police have registered an FIR against the named accused under Sections 3(1)(r) and 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, along with provisions relating to abetment of suicide. The FIR names a senior professor at IIT-Bombay as well as other individuals mentioned in the complaint. A formal investigation has been launched.
IIT-Bombay, one of India's most prestigious engineering institutions, responded to the development by stating that it takes the matter seriously and has established its own internal committee to examine the allegations. Institute authorities emphasized that they are cooperating fully with law enforcement and maintain that the campus environment is committed to upholding dignity and equality for all students and staff. The administration also stated that no such pattern of caste-based discrimination has been reported or tolerated within the institute's operations.
Legal experts note that cases involving allegations of caste-based harassment within academic institutions carry particular sensitivity, especially at elite establishments like the IITs where researchers and scholars form close-knit lab environments. The SC/ST Atrocities Act imposes strict liability and enhanced penalties for offenses motivated by caste bias.
The deceased student's family has expressed grief and demanded that justice be served swiftly. They have called on university authorities and social organizations to ensure that academic spaces remain free from discrimination and that victims of such abuse receive institutional protection rather than silence.
This incident has reignited broader conversations about caste dynamics within India's top educational institutions and the effectiveness of existing grievance redressal mechanisms for marginalized students.
