Even as the death by suicide of 22-year-old second-year BTech student of IIT Bombay (IIT-B), Sahil Wakode, on campus on Friday, September 18, has thickened the confrontation between the students protesting this incident and the institution’s authorities, allegations of caste-based treatment of students and the authorities’ mishandling of student matters have further complicated the whole issue.
IIT-B authorities apologised for the statement the institution had issued about “the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil”. With Wakode hailing from a Dalit (Scheduled Caste) community, his social background became a central focus of attention after his father, Ravindra Wakode, filed a formal police complaint, alleging the youth faced severe caste-based discrimination, mental harassment, and casteist slurs from a professor of the institute in the last three months.
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Mumbai Police has registered an FIR under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act alongside charges of abetment to suicide. The investigation has been handed over to Mumbai Crime Branch. Meanwhile, the IIT Bombay administration has denied the allegations of institutional caste discrimination, stating that the case remains under active investigation.
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The students protesting on the campus insist that Sahil was under severe pressure and had faced threats of suspension from the college. The IIT-B also announced on September 20 evening the removal of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from the post of Dean (Administrative Affairs) with immediate effect. It was Prof Doolla who was the course instructor and examination invigilator during the mid-semester examination in which Sahil was allegedly found using a mobile phone and uploading the question paper to AI platform ChatGPT to seek answers. Prof Doolla was involved in reporting this alleged examination malpractice to the institute’s authorities.
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While IIT-B has removed Prof Doolla as Dean (Administrative Affairs), it has retained him as a professor, but the protesting students have demanded his immediate suspension as a faculty member, making the matter more intense. IIT-B has backed Prof Doolla.
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The students also demand an independent investigation by a committee including professors, students, and external members into Sahil’s suicide, changes to the IIT-B’s student welfare, grievance redressal and healthcare systems, and a 24/7 psychiatrist to be available on the campus.
Meanwhile, the Faculty Association of IIT-Madras came out in support of Prof Doolla, who remains a respected academic and has been associated with the organisation of major examinations, including JEE Advanced, UCEED and CEED.
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The Faculty Association of IIT-Madras said in a statement, “No words can ease the grief of his parents and family, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to them. We also stand with his friends, classmates and the wider student community of IIT Bombay, who are mourning the loss of one of their own. The death of any student is a loss to the entire academic community, and it is a reminder that our institutions must keep making the wellbeing of every student a central priority,” the faculty association said in a statement.
“At a time of such grief, we believe it is important that the circumstances be examined fairly and through due process. We note the statement of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum that Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, as course instructor and invigilator, acted in accordance with the Senate-approved academic procedures of the institute,” said the statement issued by Prof Ethayaraja Mani, president of the IIT Madras Faculty Association.
Sahil Wakode was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room at Hostel Number 4 on the IIT-B campus in Mumbai’s Powai area on September 18 evening. A few hours before that, he was allegedly caught using ChatGPT on a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination, according to IIT-B officials. While claiming that Wakode was found to have uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to get answers, IIT-B said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.
(If anyone anywhere across India is experiencing depression or suicidal thoughts, they can contact the following helplines: Tele-MANAS – 14416; Sahaaya – 080 25497777 or 98864 44075.)
