We doubt our safety on campus: IIT Madras students

Chennai: Citing the inaction on the part of IIT Madras management in acting against the attackers of research scholar Sooraj for participating in the beef festival, students expressed concern over their physical safety on campus on Thursday.

“As students, we are worried about physical safety. The precedent set by the administration, especially the Dean of Student Affairs, in handling violence unleashed by the same person and his group, is far from satisfactory,” said Abhinav Surya, a final year student of IIT-M. “If the institution had taken action on earlier complaints of threats by Manish, current attack on Sooraj could have been avoided,” he said.

The students continued their protest on campus for the second day seeking action. They also took out the rally from the main gate to the director’s residence.

Two students from the institute have also complained to the Chennai city police commissioner seeking action against Manish and his friends who attacked Sooraj.

To counter the social media campaign in support of Manish, friends of Sooraj released a video of Manish hanging out with his friends at IIT clinic, where, severely injured Sooraj was taken for treatment. “The footage clearly shows Manish walking around immediately after with no signs of injury to his arm. But on Wednesday he is confined to a hospital bed with a fractured hand,” a student said.

IIT-M director Bhaskar Ramamurthi gave an oral assurance to the protesting students that an inquiry committee would be formed to probe the issue and assured to reimburse the medical expense of Sooraj.

“The director has given only an oral assurance to form an inquiry committee and reimburse the medical expense. We want the management to immediately expel all the eight students indulged in the attack,” Swaminathan, another student from IIT Madras.