HC reserves order on PIL for CBI probe into suicides at IIT

The Madras High Court on Tuesday reserved orders on a plea seeking a direction to the state government and police to hand over to CBI the investigation into suicides at IIT-Madras from 2006.

A division bench of Justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha reserved orders on the PIL filed by Saleem Madavoor alias Muhammed Salim, National President, Loktantarik Yuva Janathadal, Kerala.

The matter relates to the suicide by Fathima Latheef, a first year humanities student in the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, at her hostel on November 9 over which the students and political parties including the DMK have staged protests.

According to the petitioner, Fathima Latheef, a resident of Kerala, died on November 9.

The father of the deceased has given a representation to the Chief Ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala seeking fair investigation into the death.

The petitioner alleged that there was religious discrimination and she faced harassment at the hands of some professors.

Though she named some professors in her cell phone data, till date there was no action taken either by the IIT Dean or police authorities, to arrest them, he contended.

From 2006, 14 students had committed suicide in IIT campus,the petitioner claimed.

They have faced discrimination on the basis of religion, caste, language, he alleged.

The local police or the state government have not conducted any inquiry in respect of suicidal deaths, he claimed.

"So unless the CBI conducts investigation, the truth will not come out," the petitioner submitted.