FIR filed day after IIT Bombay student dies by suicide, parents allege caste bias

A day after IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, a second-year reserved category student, died by suicide, his parents have accused the institute of caste-based discrimination. The Mumbai Police registered an FIR naming Professor Suryanarayan Doolla and other unnamed individuals on charges of abetment to suicide and preventing atrocities under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act.

Doolla was the invigilator during Sahil's mid-semester exam. The institute denied any disciplinary action but stated Sahil had uploaded the exam paper to ChatGPT for answers. Sahil's father Ravindra alleged that Doolla and Director Shireesh B Kedare had subjected him to caste-based discrimination for three months, including threats of suspension.

Kedare denied any caste-based discrimination on campus, stating that caste information is not available to anyone. Sahil's parents claim they tried to boost his morale during a campus visit, but it was too late. Students protested, demanding the resignation of Director Shireesh Kedare, citing three suicides at the institute this year.