Fatima Lateef, a student of IIT Chennai, committed suicide. This brilliant student from Kerala was forced to end her life due to harassment by some Professors at IIT Chennai. According to the parents of the Fatima, neither any Professor nor any official of IIT Chennai even phoned them after the death of their daughter.

This is yet another case of rampant discrimination in several institutions of higher learning. A medical postgraduate student in Mumbai was forced to her death by her seniors.

In IIT Kanpur a Dalit Professor was harassed by his colleagues.

IITs are known for their unfriendly attitude towards students from oppressed communities. Despite constitutional reservation, seats are not filled and those who manage to yet get past, are harassed and discriminated against. However, IITs are not alone. In most of the institutions the situation prevails to varying degrees.

These institutions maintained by the public money flout with impunity constitutional provisions and trample under feet the guidelines issued from time to time. That they manage to do so and yet get away from this is due to rampant religious and caste chauvinist in the higher echelons of bureaucracy and technocracy. Needless to say this is encouraged by those in power who know everything and yet do nothing.

PDSU is campaigning for the arrest of those who pushed Fatima to death. A leaflet is distributed in the colleges in Krishnagiri district in Tamilnadu demanding action against the guilty.

15.11.2019