Student suicide case: IIT-Bombay apologises over remarks, prof suspended

In a tragic incident at IIT Bombay, 20-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode took his own life after being found dead in his hostel room. The suicide occurred shortly after Sahil was allegedly caught using his mobile phone during an examination. This was the third reported suicide case on the IIT Bombay campus in 2023, leading to student protests and demands for accountability.

Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, Dean of Student Affairs, has been suspended with immediate effect following the student's death. The suspension followed accusations from students and Sahil's family that he had been involved in his harassment and abetment. Despite these allegations, Doolla will continue serving as a professor and head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.

In response to the incident, IIT Bombay issued an apology for earlier statements about the circumstances surrounding Sahil's death. The institute acknowledged that the details and events leading up to the incident were still under investigation, and it deemed it inappropriate to present or characterize the events before they had been established through investigation.

The protests by students and Sahil's family have called for the suspension of Doolla, who was also the invigilator during the examination. Sahil's parents and several students accused him of being taken out of the examination hall and threatened with suspension. However, IIT Bombay maintained that no disciplinary action had been taken against Sahil and that he was only counseled, with no impact on his academic career.

Among the students' key demands were the suspension of Doolla, Sahil's teacher and invigilator, an open apology for defaming Sahil, an independent investigation committee with student representatives and external members, fair compensation for Sahil's family, and the implementation of a code of conduct and sensitization programs for professors.