After the administration of IIT Madras had abided the demands of the students, they had called off their indefinite hunger strike which they camped in the premises on Monday.

The campus of the IIT Madras, one of the important and prestigious institutions has been hosting the unrest and dismay since November 9th, 2019 - when the first-year postgraduate student Fathima Latheef had committed suicide in the premises and the developments following the incident witnessed the strong protests against the institute and the alleged professors whom Fathima had named as responsible for her death in the suicide note.

With having three demands, Azhar Moideen and Justin Joseph had organized the indefinite hunger strike in the campus at 10 am on Monday and through their strike, they demanded the management to install an external panel comprising of experts to survey and to study the mental well being of the students and constituting complaint and grievance redressal cell to address the issues of the students of all departments and they urged the management to initiate internal investigation into the death of Fathima and on the accusations of Fathima's family where her father alleged that the professors named in the suicide note had reportedly harassed her that had incited her to commit suicide.

Following the hunger strike, dozens of students joined the camp and unanimously voiced for an end to the suicides at the institute. The reports say that amidst the heated developments, the administration of IIT Madras has consented the first two demands while placing the assurance to meet the third demand of internal investigation into the death. By calling off the hunger strike, the students have cited the assurance from the Dean on meeting two demands and for tabling negotiations for the third one and further added that upon from the satisfactory assurance, the hunger strike has been camped off from the premises.

The probe into the death of Fathima Latheef has currently been carried out the special investigative team of Central Crime Branch where the team had, on Monday, summoned and interrogated three professors on the campus further to which they are expected to inquire the classmates and hostel mates of Fathima Latheef. The reports had revealed that the special team would be traveling to Kollam, the native place of Fathima to inquire with her family.

On November 9th, Fathima Latheef, a native of Kerala who was pursuing her first-year postgraduate course in Humanities and Social Services had allegedly committed suicide in the premises of the institute and while it was initially told that she could have hanged herself by citing low marks in the examinations, her suicide note that was in her mobile phone had revealed that she could have been harassed by her department and by the professors. After visiting the premises and reviewing the investigations, the Chennai city police commissioner on last week transferred the probe to the Central Crime Branch.

Also read : https://thenewstuff.in/death-iitian-two-students-began-hunger-strike-demanding-justice