Both families believe society’s casteist mindset is responsible for their son’s death, and both believe the culprits are still eluding the law.
Mumbai/Thoothukudi—Only parents who have lost a young son can truly understand the pain of losing one. Ravindra and Sonali Wakode sit hungry at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, holding a photograph of their 20-year-old son, Sahil. Sahil was a second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay. He committed suicide in his hostel room on September 18th.
Ersaan, Chandrashekhar and Tamilselvi in Arumugamangalam, Tamil Nadu, are staging a protest, holding a photograph of their beloved 27-year-old son, Kevin. Kevin was a software engineer who was brutally murdered in Tirunelveli in July 2025, allegedly in a caste-based honor killing.
The parents sitting on the protest hold their sons’ photographs and helplessness in their eyes, and they each have one question: will their sons get justice? Along with the grief of losing their sons, they now have to fight for justice. They must seek justice from the same system that Dalit and marginalized families often struggle to achieve. Therefore, whoever extends a helping hand, whether a leader, a commission, or an ordinary person, they see a glimmer of hope that justice may finally be achieved. Kevin’s mother and father tearfully declared that they had lost Kevin and that no other child should suffer the same fate. Sahil’s father said that the fast will continue until the accused are arrested.
Two cities, two protests, but the parents’ pain is the same: their sons are gone, and now all that remains is the hope for justice.
Parents devastated after chargesheet against son’s murder accused dismissed
27-year-old IT engineer Kevin Selvaganesh was a resident of Arumugamangalam near Eral in Thoothukudi district. He was murdered with a sword-like weapon on July 27, 2025. He belonged to the Scheduled Caste and was in love with a young woman. The young woman’s younger brother, Surjeet, was arrested for the murder. Surjeet surrendered at the police station within hours of the murder. Surjeet’s parents, Saravanan and Krishnakumari, were also accused in the case. Both were in the police force. Krishnakumari was a sub-inspector in the Tamil Nadu Special Police Force and was arrested by the CB-CID nine months after the incident.
Following the CB-CID investigation, a lengthy chargesheet was filed in court. This 800-page chargesheet reportedly includes CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and statements from 83 witnesses. The case was being heard in the Special SC/ST Atrocities Prevention Act Court in Tirunelveli. The prosecution alleged that after the incident, Surjeet told his father, and his parents together asked him to destroy his clothes and mobile phone and remove the two-wheeler’s number plate.
But on Tuesday, September 29, Justice R. Vijayakumar of the Madras High Court’s Madurai Bench dismissed the charge sheet against Saravanan and Krishnakumari. The court stated that there was no evidence linking them to the crime. Citing a Supreme Court ruling, the court stated that mobile tower information only indicates the range of the tower, not the exact location of the phone. With this order, both were acquitted of the murder charge. However, the court rejected Surjeet’s relative, Jaipal’s, petition seeking to dismiss the charge sheet against him. The court stated that the question of Jaipal’s role in the conspiracy would be decided in the trial.
Following the verdict, Kevin’s father, Chandrashekhar, and mother, Tamilselvi, staged a sit-in protest. They sit in front of their house in Arumugamangalam with a picture of Kevin. They sit under a banyan tree in front of the house and say that the charges were dropped due to lack of evidence. Tamilselvi says, “What were we fighting for all this time? The charge sheet has been dismissed citing lack of evidence. If that’s the case, where did we get justice?”
The protesting parents questioned how the arrests were made if there was insufficient evidence in the case. They demanded that the CBI continue the investigation and gather more evidence. Tamilselvi said, “Since the people involved in this case are police officers, their role should also be thoroughly investigated. The incidents that we believe led to the destruction of evidence in the case should also be investigated.”
She further stated, “We have no personal enmity with anyone. We believe in justice and fairness. We have been fighting solely on the basis of justice. We respect the court’s decision. At the same time, we want accurate answers to our doubts and questions.”
Tamilselvi appealed to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay to intervene, initiate an appeal on behalf of the government, and take steps for further investigation. She stated that her protest would continue until her questions were answered and her son received justice.
The case has also drawn political backlash. VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan called the decision “shocking.” He said that cancelling the charge sheet before the trial began would set a bad precedent. Leaders have reached out to Kevin’s family in the past. Following the incident, Kanimozhi MP and ministers K.N. Nehru and Anitha Radhakrishnan visited the family, and then-Chief Minister M.K. Stalin consoled the parents over the phone. Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu also visited Arumugamangalam to meet the family on the first death anniversary.
Sahil’s parents continue their hunger strike at Azad Maidan for the fifth day.
Sahil, the 20-year-old son of Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, residents of Yavatmal, was a second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay. He was found dead in his hostel room on the evening of September 18th. That same day, he was allegedly caught using ChatGPT on his mobile phone during his mid-semester exam. The parents allege that Sahil had complained about caste discrimination at the institute.
Professor Suryanarayan Dulla is named in the police FIR. He has been charged with abetment to suicide. The FIR also mentions caste discrimination. Professor Dulla has been placed on leave to ensure a fair investigation. The institute’s board has formed a 10-member inquiry committee, while the Mumbai Police Crime Branch is investigating the case. The Crime Branch is investigating CCTV recordings and other evidence. The Crime Branch has recorded statements from approximately 20 people so far, and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has requested a detailed investigation report. The investigation also reported that Sahil, while speaking to a female friend on the phone, expressed regret for “attempting to cheat” in the exam.
The fast began on September 24th. Prior to that, the parents met with NCSC Chairman Kishore Makwana and submitted a memorandum demanding a speedy investigation. That fast was brief. Subsequently, an indefinite fast began at Azad Maidan on Monday, September 28th, which is still ongoing. The parents’ main demand is the arrest of Professor Dulla and IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedare. Ravindra Wakode has stated that the fast will continue until both are arrested. The family has also demanded a CBI investigation into the matter and action against those who leaked the CCTV footage. There is also a demand for the case to be heard in a fast-track court.
Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad reached Azad Maidan to support the family. She said that the deaths of Sahil and Darshan Solanki have raised concerns about student safety and accountability at the institution. On Thursday, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi President Prakash Ambedkar arrived at the protest site and offered courage to Sahil’s parents. He said, “Sahil was a very bright student, as evidenced by his record in previous examinations. This time, I also sought complete information about the case from lawyers. The police investigation in this case has been disappointing. The accused have neither been called for questioning nor presented before the court. Does the Chief Minister have the final say in such a sensitive case? This remains to be seen. The police do not conduct such an investigation without the Chief Minister’s instructions.”
Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale spoke with the parents over the phone and assured them of justice. The family’s lawyer, Nikhil Kamble, stated that no government representative visited them. Students on campus are also demanding changes to the investigation process and improved grievance redressal systems.
Geetha Sunil Pillai
Courtesy: Hindi News