IIT-M girl suicide: Two students end indefinite fast

Chennai: Two IIT-Madras students, who had embarked on an indefinite 'hunger strike' following the death of a girl student announced withdrawal of their protest on Tuesday following assurace from the management to meet their key demands.

"We have called off the (hunger) strike," Azhar Moideen, a final year Humanities student, told PTI.

They had launched the indefinite fast on the campus, demanding an internal inquiry into the conduct of faculty as sought by the family of a woman student who committed suicide recently.

The fast was called off following assurance from the Dean that two of their demands would be implemented "at the earliest," while that for a probe into the conduct of faculty would be discussed with the Director later, he said.

The Director was currently not in town and this subject came under his jurisdiction, Moideen said quoting the Dean.

Moideen said the Dean has sent a mail to all the students, assuring their demands for setting up complaints and redressal system in every department would be implemented "at the earliest", besides a study on external issues faced by the students at the premier technical varsity.

Moideen and another student had embarked on an indefinite fast on Monday, following the alleged suicide of Fathima Latheef, a first year Humanities student hailing from Kerala.