IIT Madras student names professor as cause of death in suicide note

A first-year MA student from IIT Madras was found hanging in her hostel room early Saturday morning. The girl, identified as Fathima Latheef, hailed from Kollam, Kerala.

Fathima, as claimed by her professors, was a brilliant girl who topped nearly every subject. Although the police initially registered a case of unnatural death and informed the girl’s parents that no suicide note had been found, Fathima’s sister Aysha, upon her father Abdul Latheef’s insistence, opened the lock screen in her sister’s mobile to find a suicide note, where she had named a professor, alleging that he was responsible for her suicide. Kollam’s Mayor, who was also Fathima’s guardian, accompanied Aysha, while Abdul Latheef was still on his way from Saudi Arabia.

Speaking to a news agency, Abdul reportedly mentioned, “This is a repeat of Rohit Vemula. I possess all records to prove that my daughter was being harassed by the department for the past 28 days. She has named faculty members in her notes. I do not know what sort of harassment she was facing there. Whether it was mental, or otherwise, I will fight till my last breath to get bring those who harassed her to justice.”

Fathima’s mobile phone is currently in police custody while the accused professor is unavailable. Further investigation is expected to reveal the exact cause of the girl’s suicide. An FIR has been registered under Section 174 of the CrPC.