NIT Silchar suicide: Students’ hunger strike enters day 4, six students fall ill

As many as six students fell sick at the protest site on Thursday as the hunger strike carried out by students of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Silchar in Assam entered the fourth day today.

The six students whose health condition deteriorated during the indefinite hunger strike, were rushed to the Silchar Medical College and Hospital.

The NIT Silchar students have been continuing their protest demanding justice for the third-year student who died by suicide and transfer of dean (academics) Binoy Krishna Roy, blaming him for the student committing suicide.

Electrical engineering student Koj Buker from Arunachal Pradesh was found dead in his hostel room on September 15.

Following the demands from protesting students, NIT Silchar registrar Krishna Lal Baishnab had announced the replacement of dean (academics) Binoy Krishna Roy. Lalit Chandra Saikia has been named as the interim replacement, pending approval from the NIT Silchar director.

The students announced the indefinite hunger strike on September 18 after the authorities failed to comply with their demands.

Earlier, the NIT Silchar Student Fraternity had written to President Droupadi Murmu to immediately intervene as they claimed that the ‘situation in our institution has escalated to an alarming level’.

The students had also demanded that the college administration lodge an FIR to ensure a proper investigation into the alleged suicide and the family of the deceased should be extended comprehensive support, including financial and legal.