Fathima Latheef suicide case: Students go on hunger strike demanding fair probe

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  

Chennai: Two students from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras sat on a hunger strike demanding a fair investigation in the Fathima Latheef suicide case on Monday (November 18). Fathima 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 pressure," one of the students said while talking to media.

He added that the administration has not taken any action in this case and this has forced the students to protest in campus.

Fathima was a student of IIT Madras and 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 campus. Following the incident, police, during its primary investigation, revealed that this was Fathima’s first stay away from family and that she had scored poorly in her internal exam.