CHENNAI/T’PURAM/KOLLAM: The Central Crime Branch of the city police on Monday summoned three professors from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras for the investigations in the suicide of the student Fathima Latheef. They were told to appear before the investigating officers on Tuesday.
Police sources said these three professors were named in one of the suicide notes that was purportedly left by Fathima.
On Monday, a police team is said to have questioned the three professors in the Indian Institute of Technology campus and later issued them summons to appear before them on Tuesday.However, police officers refused to confirm the authenticity of the suicide note left by Fathima even though they acknowledged the professors being summoned were named in the suicide note.
After the furore over the suicide of the student and allegations of harassment against a particular professor, the investigations were transferred to a special team headed by Additional Commissioner of Police C Eswaramoorthy and supervised by Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Megalina.
On November 9, the Fathima Latheef committed suicide at the hostel in Indian Insttute of Technology (M). Later the day, the students and family members of the Fathima claimed that she had mentioned a name of a professor in the alleged suicide note. While there was a lag in the investigation from the part of the local police, the case was transferred to the CCB. On 14 November, the Chennai city police commissioner A K Viswanathan ordered the case to be transferred to the Central Crime Branch claiming that the case is highly sensitive.
Fathima Lateef’s dad under medical care
Fathima Lateef’s father fainted on Monday and is under medical care in their house in Kollam. “He has not been taking proper care of himself ever since the incident. He has become so weak that we had to cancel his meeting with the chief minister, slated to take place on Monday,” said Shine Dev, a family friend.