IIT-Bombay student suicide case: Institute apologises over earlier remarks; student affairs dean suspended | India News
NEW DELHI: IIT Bombay on Monday suspended Dean of Student Affairs Professor Suryanarayana Doolla with immediate effect following the death by suicide of 20-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode.The suspension came amid student protests and demands for action over the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.“Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, Dean of Student Affairs, has been suspended with immediate effect. Any further action will be taken following an investigation,” Kedare saidDoolla had been accused by students and Sahil’s family of harassment and abetment in connection with the student’s death. He will, however, continue to serve as a professor and head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.The institute also issued an apology for statements made in an earlier communication about the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.“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. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process.”Twenty-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode, a second-year student of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during the institute’s mid-semester examination. He had reportedly uploaded the exam paper to an AI platform to seek answers.The incident was the third reported case of suicide on the IIT Bombay campus this year and triggered protests by students over the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death and the institute’s handling of the matter.Sahil’s parents and several students alleged that he was taken out of the examination hall and threatened with suspension. IIT Bombay, however, maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him and that he was counselled and assured that the incident would not affect his academic career.
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Among the students’ key demands was the suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, Sahil’s teacher and the invigilator during the examination. Sahil’s family had filed an FIR against Doolla and “other institute officials”, accusing them of abetment and harassment over the preceding three months.The protesters also demanded an open apology for what they described as “defaming” Sahil and sought an open house involving all stakeholders before September 22.Their demands included an independent investigation committee comprising student representatives and external members recommended by them. They also sought the suspension of officials found guilty following the probe, fair compensation for Sahil’s family, and a code of conduct and sensitisation programmes for professors.
