IIT Bombay has suspended Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, Dean of Administrative Affairs, with immediate effect amid an investigation into the death by suicide of student Sahil Wakode.
IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh B. Kedare informed students about the suspension and said any further action would be taken after the investigation is completed.
The action comes as the institute faces sustained student protests following Wakode’s death and demands for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding it. The administration has also agreed to an 18-point charter of demands submitted by protesting students.
Students, faculty express support for Doolla
The suspension has drawn support for Doolla from sections of the IIT Bombay community.
Students, particularly those associated with the Energy Department, have expressed condolences to Wakode’s family while also defending the professor against what they described as “false allegations”.
The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum also expressed solidarity with Doolla, saying he was following institutional procedures after allegedly finding a student in possession of and using a smartphone during a mid-semester examination.
According to the Faculty Forum, Doolla was invigilating the examination on September 18 when he noticed the student using a phone. The forum described the incident as academic malpractice and said Doolla reported it to the institute authorities in accordance with the approved procedure.
IIT Bombay apologises over earlier statement
The institute has separately apologised for its earlier communication about the circumstances leading up to Wakode’s death.
IIT Bombay acknowledged that it was inappropriate to characterise events preceding the student’s death before those details had been established through the appropriate investigative process.
“The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities,” the institute said in its revised communication.
The apology marks a significant change from the institute’s earlier account, which had described the examination incident and said the student had been found using a mobile phone and had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT.
What happened to Sahil Wakode?
Wakode, a second-year BTech student in IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide on September 18.
The institute’s initial statement said he had allegedly been found using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. It said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him and that the matter had been discussed with him by the instructor and the department head.
However, Wakode’s father later filed a police complaint alleging harassment and caste-based discrimination. Mumbai Police subsequently registered an FIR naming Doolla and other officials. The allegations remain subject to investigation, and the institute has previously denied that caste discrimination was established in the case.
Police investigation underway
The FIR followed a complaint by Wakode’s father, who alleged that his son had faced caste-based harassment, including alleged casteist remarks, over a period of time.
The allegations have not been established by the investigation. The Mumbai Crime Branch is set to investigate the case following an agreement reached with the student’s family, according to Hindustan Times.
The suspension of Doolla is therefore an interim administrative action and does not by itself establish the allegations made against him.
IIT Bombay director also faces pressure
The developments come amid wider pressure on the IIT Bombay administration.
Director Shireesh Kedare told protesting students that he would resign, subject to the required institutional process. The institute’s Board was scheduled to consider the matter on September 21.
The campus protests have focused not only on the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death but also on broader concerns about student welfare, institutional accountability and procedures for handling disciplinary matters.
The investigations into Wakode’s death and the allegations against institute officials are continuing.