TN: Students sit on hunger strike demanding fair probe into Fathima Latheef suicide case

Two students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, on Monday sat on a hunger strike demanding a fair investigation in the case related to Fathima Latheef, who allegedly committed suicide on November 9.

"We are on a hunger strike. We have two demands - first is that an internal investigation committee should be set up to look into allegations raised by Fathima and her family, and the second is to appoint an external committee of experts who deal with mental health. These experts can help the students suffering from various kinds of mental pressures," one of the students said while talking to the media.

He further said that so far the administration has not taken any action in this regard which has forced the students to stage such protests in the campus.

Fathima Latheef, a student of IIT Madras had allegedly taken her own life by hanging herself from a ceiling fan in her hostel room. She was a native of Kerala and was pursuing an integrated MA programme at the institute.

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