I had initially planned not to comment so that the focus could be on current students & their concerns. But I am deeply shaken by the farcical accusations on social media that the students and faculty at HSS IITM are apathetic. Just no, social media warriors. (1/9)
Fathima's passing has shaken everyone- students, faculty and alumni and there is a shared sense of collective failure we all feel for not having created institutional structures that facilitate and help students thrive and enable them to reach out when in trouble. (2/9)
This is an institutional failing, one for which we all feel accountable. Since Saturday, there has been no attempt by the dept or its faculty to "brush this under the carpet", "ignore and move on" as has been suggested. (3/9)
The M.A. students have come together so remarkably well. They have reached out and provided support to one another even as they have fought to open institutional avenues for discussion and change. (4/9)
For the first time in the 6+ years I have been associated with HSS, we have had the most far-reaching and inclusive conversation on mental health. It is an important step forward, one I trust will contribute into building better institutional structures... (5/9)
that are empathetic, supportive & ultimately work towards preventing student suicides. The media narrative has galloped away with accusations of discrimination when no one really has all the facts in place (yes I know about the notes. No they have not been cross-verified.) (6/9)
This has meant that students, who are already vulnerable& who are doing incredibly taxing carework & advocacy, now have the additional burden of rallying behind the dept and its profs. This is not uncritical support for faculty. The demand is still for a fair investigation. (7/9)
Justice in Fathima's case is as much about a fair investigation as it is about building better mental health infrastructure in IITs & in the HSS dept. By shifting the focus of conversation away to vilify & crucify faculty, social media warriors are doing no one a favour. (8/9)
I stand in solidarity with my dept through these incredibly difficult times. I fully trust the dept, inc the faculty named would want a fair investigation. I sincerely hope we build better systems together to prevent such tragedies from happening again.
#JusticeForFathimaLatheef
#JusticeForFathimaLatheef
