Mumbai/Thoothukudi- Two cities, two protests, one shared grief. In Mumbai's Azad Maidan, the parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode are on a hunger strike. Well over a thousand kilometres away, in Arumugamangalam in Tamil Nadu's Thoothukudi district, the parents of IT engineer Kavin Selvaganesh are on a sit-in protest in front of their home. Each holds a photograph of their young son. Both have lost him far too soon, and both are mourning him in the open.

There is a second thing the two families share: both are Dalit. Both say they are demanding justice for their sons from a system and a society that, in their experience, has always been partial towards the marginalised. Both families allege that caste discrimination played a part in their son's death, and both feel that those they hold responsible have not been held to account.

The circumstances of the two cases differ. Kavin was hacked to death, and the case is before the court. Sahil's death is being treated as a suicide in the police probe.

Chargesheet Quashed, Sit-in Begins: Kavin's Parents Urge State to Appeal

Kavin Selvaganesh was from Arumugamangalam, near Eral in Thoothukudi district. He was killed in Tirunelveli on July 27, 2025. He belonged to a Scheduled Caste and was in a relationship with a young woman. Her younger brother, Surjith, was arrested for the murder, having surrendered at a police station within hours of the killing. Surjith's parents, Saravanan and Krishnakumari, both in the police, were also named as co-accused. Krishnakumari was a sub-inspector in the Tamil Nadu Special Police, and the CB-CID arrested her nine months after the incident.

After the investigation, an 800-page chargesheet was filed in court. It reportedly includes CCTV footage, forensic evidence, and statements from 83 witnesses. The trial was being heard by the Special Court for cases under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Tirunelveli. The prosecution alleged that after the crime, Surjith informed his father, and that his parents met him and told him to destroy his clothes and mobile phone and to remove the number plate from his two-wheeler.

On Tuesday, September 29, however, Justice R. Vijayakumar of the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court quashed the chargesheet against Saravanan and Krishnakumari, holding that there was insufficient evidence linking them to the crime. Citing a Supreme Court ruling, the judgment noted that mobile tower data indicates only the tower's operational range, not the exact location of a phone. With this order, both were discharged from the murder case. The court did, however, dismiss a petition by Surjith's relative Jayapal, who had sought to have the chargesheet against him quashed. It said that whether Jayapal had a role in a conspiracy is a question for the trial to decide.

After the order, Kavin's father Chandrasekar and mother Tamilselvi sat down in front of their home in Arumugamangalam with Kavin's photograph. Reports say they are sitting under a banyan tree opposite their house. Their demands are clear. They want Chief Minister Vijay to intervene, the state government to file an appeal against the High Court order, and the case to be investigated further. They say their struggle will continue until justice is done. In tears, they said they have already lost one Kavin and that no other Kavin should lose his life in this way.

Political reactions have followed. VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan called the ruling "shocking" and said that quashing a chargesheet before the trial begins would set a wrong precedent. Leaders have visited Kavin's family before. After the killing, MP Kanimozhi and ministers K.N. Nehru and Anitha Radhakrishnan met the family, and then Chief Minister M.K. Stalin consoled the parents by phone. On Kavin's first death anniversary, Social Justice Minister Vanni Arasu visited the family in Arumugamangalam.

It may be noted that while granting bail to Saravanan, in the month of June, the Madras High Court had delivered a sharp critique of caste-based prejudices that continue to plague Tamil Nadu society.

The Court made it clear that the time has come for every person to break free from this 'curse of caste'. The Court observed that while Saravanan's casteist mindset is a result of his upbringing, blaming a single individual is not the solution. This is a social disease that needs to be eradicated at its root, and the state government must now take concrete steps in this direction.

Sahil's Parents Hold Firm on Demand for Arrests at Azad Maidan

Ravindra and Sonali Wakode are from Yavatmal. Their 20-year-old son Sahil was a second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay. On the evening of September 18, he was found dead in his hostel room. Earlier that day, he had allegedly been caught using ChatGPT on his phone during a mid-semester examination. His parents allege that he had complained of caste discrimination at the institute.

The police FIR names Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who is booked for abetment of suicide. The FIR is also reported to include allegations of caste discrimination. Professor Doolla has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe. The institute's board has formed a 10-member inquiry committee, while the Mumbai Police Crime Branch is investigating. The Crime Branch is examining CCTV recordings and other evidence and has recorded statements from about 20 people. The National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCSC) has sought a detailed investigation report. According to the probe, Sahil had allegedly expressed regret over the "cheating attempt" in a phone call with a female friend before his death.

The family's hunger strike first began on September 24. Before it, the parents met NCSC Chairman Kishor Makwana and submitted a memorandum seeking a speedy investigation. That protest was brief. An indefinite hunger strike then began at Azad Maidan on Monday, September 28, and today is its fifth day. The parents' main demand is the arrest of Professor Doolla and IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare. Ravindra Wakode has said the strike will continue until both are arrested. The family has also demanded a CBI probe, action against those who leaked CCTV footage, and a fast-track court for the case.

Response from leaders and the government has so far been limited. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad went to Azad Maidan and backed the family, saying the deaths of Sahil and Darshan Solanki have raised concerns about student safety and accountability at the institute. Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi founder Prakash Ambedkar visited the parents on Thursday. In a statement, Ambedkar said, "Sahil was an extremely intelligent student, as evident from his record in previous exams. This time, I also took detailed information from the lawyers regarding the case. The police investigation in this case is disappointing. Those accused have not yet been called for questioning, nor brought before the court. In such a sensitive case, is it in the hands of the Chief Minister? This needs to be seen. Without the Chief Minister's instructions, the police do not conduct such an investigation."

Union Minister of State Ramdas Athawale spoke to the parents by phone and assured them of justice. Students on campus are also demanding changes to the inquiry process and a better grievance redressal system.

Azad Maidan in Mumbai and Arumugamangalam in Thoothukudi are more than a thousand kilometres apart, but the picture in both places is the same: parents sitting with their son's photograph. Both families are in mourning, both are Dalit, and both say they will not leave until they get justice.