‘Allow Process To Establish Facts’: IIT Madras Faculty Association Backs Prof Doolla In Sahil Wakode Case As Probe Intensifies

The IIT Madras Faculty Association has come out in support of IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla amid growing protests following the death of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode. They have called for restraint as the investigation continues.

The association extended condolences to Wakode's family and urged stakeholders to allow the process to establish the facts before reaching any conclusions. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is investigating the case, and Doolla has been named in an FIR registered following a complaint by Wakode's family alleging caste-based discrimination and harassment.

Doolla was the invigilator during the examination where Wakode was allegedly found using a mobile phone. Initially, IIT Bombay accused him of uploading the examination paper to ChatGPT to seek answers, but they later apologized for this characterization. Doolla has been relieved of his duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs with immediate effect.

IIT Bombay's Faculty Forum has also expressed support for Doolla, stating that he has followed the institute's Senate-approved examination procedures. The forum has also described reports of him as "false and misleading." The student protests over Wakode's death continue.