Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad and dozens of party workers and NSUI activists were detained on Thursday during a protest outside IIT Bombay over the death of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student, was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. His parents have alleged that he had told them about facing caste-based slurs.
Gaikwad, along with Congress workers and members of the party's student wing, the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), gathered outside the institute's Powai campus to express solidarity with Wakode's family and demand accountability.
Police detained Gaikwad and several protesters, including women workers, and took them to a local police station for further legal action, an official said.
Addressing reporters during the protest, Gaikwad accused the ruling establishment of damaging the education system and described Wakode's death as an "institutional murder." She also alleged that the BJP and RSS had harmed the education system and said Congress would stand by the student's family.
Gaikwad further said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had assured the family of all possible support.
Heavy security was deployed outside the IIT Bombay gate to prevent any untoward incident. Senior police officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade and local assistant commissioners, were present at the spot.
(With inputs from PTI)