He did his job: IIT Bombay forum, eminent persons back Prof Doolla amid suicide row

IIT Bombay's faculty forum, and many prominent personalities have backed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who reported Sahil Wakode for allegedly cheating in a mid-semester exam. IIT-B Director Shireesh Kedare too got massive support amid protests over Wakode's suicide.

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has come out in support of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, saying he was only following institute-approved procedure when he reported second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode, who died by suicide, for alleged malpractice during an examination. Several people from outside IIT Bombay, including academics, journalists and public figures, have also come out in support of Professor Doolla, against whom the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act has been invoked following Wakode's death.

The support comes amid a widening controversy over the death of Sahil Wakode, whose family has accused Doolla of caste-based harassment and mental torture. Other than invoking provisions of the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on the complaint of Wakode's family, Mumbai Police has registered a case of abetment to suicide, and a first for any IIT faculty member.

Doolla was on Monday suspended from deanship following protests on the campus over the death of Wakode, with the Mumbai Police Crime Branch now investigating the case. The IIT Bombay professor was named as an accused in an FIR registered after the student's parents alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination by campus authorities.

Sahil Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester exam. IIT Bombay said he uploaded the question paper ChatGPT for answers. Doolla was the invigilator and caught Wakode using the AI tool.\

IIT Bombay professor Suryakant Waghmore, however, questioned the Faculty Forum's intervention, saying it was "not a legal body" and that "not all faculty identif[ied] with this group". He alleged that the forum was "building pressure on [the] investigation committee", adding that he was making the criticism "on record".

IIT Bombay on Monday apologised for the statements in previous communications because the details and circumstances leading up to the incident were still being probed.

"We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil. The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities," the IIT Bombay statement read.

Doolla hasn't issued any statement so far, while IIT Bombay has denied caste discrimination, and said no disciplinary action had been initiated against Wakode. IIT Bombay Director, Professor Shireesh Kedare, consented to take forward an 18-point charter presented by protesting students.

While the protesters demanded the resignation of Kedare and Doolla, several people linked to the IITs and eminent persons backed the two IIT Bombay faculty members.

NEVER SEEN TEACHER DISCRIMINATE, SAYS IIT DELHI PROFESSOR

IIT Delhi professor Pravesh Biyani said that in more than two decades of watching the IIT and IIIT systems, he had never witnessed a teacher discriminate against a student on caste lines.

BJP leader Ananthan Ayyasamy, who said he belongs to an SC community, opposed what he called "misuse of the SC-ST Act" in the case, while Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu said he "deeply respect[ed]" Ayyasamy's stand.

Former Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said the death of the student was "extremely unfortunate", but argued that sacking professors to end the protests was not the right solution.

"While the death of the IIT Bombay student is extremely unfortunate and yet another reminder that these premier institutions need to work on the campus environment and mental health, sacking professors to end the protests is just a band-aid solution to a problem that needs surgery," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader posted on X.

She also criticised what she described as attempts to shift the blame onto professors who were reportedly doing their job by reporting alleged copying during an examination and turning the issue into one of caste discrimination.

"Also, shifting the blame on the professors who were doing their job of reporting copying during an exam and making it about caste discrimination is a sad outcome," she added.

"In this suicide, I stand with Professor Doolla. If a student is caught cheating, it is normal to admonish him and ask him to leave the room. If the student was harassed due to his caste, he should have complained to the SC/ST department. When we were kids, we were admonished by teachers and parents for our wrongdoings, but our generation was mentally strong. I would request colleges to have mental health therapists for the wellbeing of the students," Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed said on X.

SAHIL WAKODE A BRIGHT STUDENT, GOT 8.5 CGPA, SAY PEOPLE

But the other side of the story is equally important. Wakode's family has alleged that he faced caste-based harassment for months. His classmates have questioned the institute's account of what happened after he was caught with a phone during the exam. And those who knew the 20-year-old student remember him as being academically strong.

According to some reports, Wakode was a bright student, and he had scored an 8.5 CGPA in his first year and that his family had no indication that anything was seriously wrong before his death.

Those claiming that he was an academically strong student do not refute the charges that Wakode used ChatGPT during the examination.

Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief and Lok Sabha MP Chandrashekhar Azad 'Ravan' reacted to the case and demanded "fair and time-bound investigation" into Sahil's death.

"There should be no place for caste-based discrimination, humiliation, or any form of institutional harassment against students in the country's prestigious higher education institutions. Institutions must ensure accountability in matters related to student complaints and safety," he said.

Many of those backing Professor Doolla have also opposed the invocation of the SC-ST Act in the case. They have argued that concerns over its possible misuse should be examined along with the allegations of caste discrimination made by Wakode's family.

SAHIL WAKODE CASE: WHAT HAPPENED AT IIT BOMBAY

Wakode, a second-year student of energy science and engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using ChatGPT in a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination.

IIT Bombay said the student had allegedly uploaded the examination question paper to AI tool, ChatGPT, to seek answers. The institute said Professor Doolla, who was invigilating the examination, and the Head of Department spoke to Wakode, counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. The institute also denied that any disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him.

However, on Monday, IIT Bombay apologised, saying it shouldn't have gone ahead and detailed what happened because the case was still being investigated.

Wakode's death triggered protests on the IIT Bombay campus, with students demanding an independent inquiry and action against those they claimed were responsible.

The protests took on a different dimension after Wakode's father alleged that his son had faced caste-based remarks and mental harassment for around three months. The complaint named Doolla and other institute officials. The Mumbai Police, which has not transferred the case to the Crime Branch, subsequently registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the SC-ST Act.

The case has also revived a debate over the alleged misuse of the SC-ST Act, with Doolla's backers arguing that invoking stringent provisions on the basis of allegations before the facts are established can unfairly criminalise officials doing their jobs.

The allegations in the case have not been established yet.

WHY IIT BOMBAY FACULTY ARE BACKING PROFESSOR DOOLLA

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum said Doolla was invigilating the examination when he noticed a student in "unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone", reported ANI.

According to the faculty body, Doolla reported the alleged academic malpractice to institute authorities as required under the Senate-approved academic policies. The forum expressed solidarity with him and said it was distressed by what it described as the tarnishing of his reputation.

"We strongly express our solidarity with our colleague Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was discharging his duties in line with the institute's Senate-approved academic policies currently in force," the forum said in the statement, while offering the deepest condolences to the family of the student.

The argument being made by his supporters is that his reporting of malpractice in examinations was part of Doolla's official responsibility. They said the fact that a student subsequently died cannot, by itself, establish that the professor's action caused the death or that he committed caste-based harassment.

Company secretary Arun K Chaturvedi made a similar argument on X. He said that the allegations must be investigated but "an accusation cannot automatically become a conclusion". He argued that teachers and officials must be able to enforce institutional rules without fearing that performing their duties could later become the basis for criminal charges.

SRIDHAR VEMBU, TEHSEEN POONAWALLA BACK IIT BOMBAY PROFESSOR

Pravesh Biyani, a professor at IIT Delhi who studied at IIT Bombay, said he had spent 22 years closely watching the IIT and IIIT system and had never witnessed a teacher discriminate against a student because of caste. Writing on X, he recalled that many of his close friends during his BTech were from SC/ST communities and said caste rarely entered academic interactions.

BJP leader Ayyasamy made the argument from another vantage point. Identifying himself as a member of the SC Devendra Kula Vellalar community, he said he had experienced poverty and social disadvantage and therefore did not oppose the SC/ST Act itself. His objection, he said, was to what he considered its possible misuse in this case.

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu, writing on Ayyasamy's post, said, he "deeply respect[s]" his principled stand and that Doolla should not be subjected to the allegations without the facts being established.

Activist Tehseen Poonawalla also came out in support of Doolla, describing him as an award-winning teacher who was "simply doing his job".

The case now hinges on three overlapping questions: What happened during the examination, whether Wakode faced caste-based or other harassment before his death, and whether any individual or institutional action contributed to it. Doolla's backers want the allegations against him tested through due process rather than treated as guilt, while Wakode's family and protesting students want the caste-harassment allegations fully investigated.

- Ends