IIT Madras suicide: Victim's father meets CM, urges proper probe

Abdul Latheef, father of Fathima Latheef, the IIT Madras student who committed suicide, met Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami here on Friday.

During the meeting, the victim's father called for a proper investigation into the matter.

Earlier in the day, the father of the victim alleged that her daughter was subjected to harassment and she feared Sudarshan Padmanaban, a professor of IIT Madras.

"Fathima was number one in everything and she was being subjected to some kind of harassment. My daughter feared Sudarshan Padmanaban (a professor). The Director-General of Police (DGP) had not seen the suicide note. They saw it only when we showed," he told reporters here.

He asserted that the IIT management did not inform the family after her death and said he was assured by the DGP that the culprits would be brought to book.

"All the evidence we have has been submitted to the DGP. I trust the government of Tamil Nadu and police department. The IIT management did not call or contact us after her death," Abdul Latheef said, adding that her daughter was a student of high calibre.

"I want all the people to continue to report about her death until the truth behind this is brought out. The DGP has promised that the culprits will be brought before the law," he said.

Fathima had allegedly taken her own life by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her hostel room last week. She was a native of Kerala and was pursuing an integrated MA program at the institute.

Fathima was staying at the Sarayu hostel at the campus. Following the incident, the police, in its primary investigation, had revealed that Fathima was separated from her family for the first time and had scored poorly in her internal exam.