Student suicide row: IIT-B removes professor accused of caste bias as dean

IIT Bombay has taken a major administrative step amid the row over student Sahil's suicide, removing Prof Suryanarayana Doolla as dean. The action comes amid protests on campus and students' demands for accountability over the circumstances surrounding Sahil's death.

In Short

• IIT-Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla removed after student protests
• Director signs 18-point charter after three days of campus protests
• Students seek independent probe into Sahil Wakode’s death

IIT-Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla has been officially removed from his deanship of administrative affairs, three days after second-year engineering student Sahil Wakode died by suicide. Sakode, 22, was allegedly caught cheating by Professor Doolla during a mid-semester examination on Friday.

Wakode died on September 18. Doolla, a faculty member of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was the invigilator during the examination and reported the alleged malpractice to higher authorities. According to IIT-Bombay, Wakode was subsequently counselled and allowed to leave without any disciplinary action.

Follow the live blog for latest updates

IIT BOMBAY'S BIG ACTION

Doolla’s removal from the deanship came after IIT-Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare signed an 18-point charter of demands submitted by protesting students on the evening of September 20.

The students had been protesting for three days, demanding accountability over Wakode’s death, an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding it and reforms to the institute’s academic and student-welfare systems. The demand for Doolla’s suspension was among the key provisions of the charter.

Doolla was the invigilator during the examination in which Wakode was allegedly found using a mobile phone and seeking answers through ChatGPT. IIT-Bombay had earlier said that Wakode had allegedly uploaded the question paper to an AI platform to seek answers.

The institute maintained that Wakode was counselled after the incident and assured that the matter would not adversely affect his academic career. It also said that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him at that stage.

Wakode’s parents, however, have alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination and held institute officials responsible for their son’s death. Doolla’s name was subsequently included in the FIR registered on the basis of the family’s complaint. The allegations remain subject to investigation.

The IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum had earlier backed Doolla, saying he was performing his duties as an invigilator and had reported the alleged examination malpractice in accordance with established institutional procedure.

THE APOLOGY AND THE CLARIFICATION

The 18-point charter signed by the director goes beyond the demand for Doolla’s suspension. Students have sought an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death, a time-bound report, an open house with senior administrators and an apology over what they described as the public defamation of the student.

IIT-Bombay has also apologised for an earlier statement issued in connection with Wakode’s death and clarified that Director Prof Shireesh Kedare has not resigned and will continue in his position. The clarification came amid reports and social media posts claiming that Kedare had stepped down following the student protests.

The institute’s clarification came as it addressed the developments surrounding the 18-point charter signed by Kedare.

The demands also include a code of conduct for faculty, mental-health sensitisation, improvements to counselling services, changes to the disciplinary process and greater student representation. Students have proposed a task force comprising students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts to examine student distress on campus.

With Doolla’s suspension now formally following the signing of the charter, attention turns to the proposed independent inquiry and the ongoing investigation into Wakode’s death.

The investigation will examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine whether any responsibility can be established for the events that followed.

(With inputs from Vidya)

- Ends