IIT Bombay Student Death: Professor Suryanarayana Doolla Removed as Dean
MUMBAI: IIT Bombay on Monday apologised for an earlier communication about the death of second-year BTech student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, acknowledging that it was inappropriate to characterise events preceding his death before those circumstances had been established through an investigation.
The institute also removed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from his administrative position as Dean of Administrative Affairs with immediate effect. Doolla, who was involved in the examination incident involving Wakode, will continue as a professor and head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, according to the institute’s clarification reported by multiple news organisations.
The developments came as protests continued at the Powai campus following Wakode’s death on September 18. Students have demanded an independent investigation and action over issues surrounding the circumstances leading up to the death.
IIT Bombay retracts earlier characterisation
Wakode was found dead in his hostel room hours after an examination during which he was allegedly found using a mobile phone. IIT Bombay’s earlier account said he had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
The institute had also said that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him. According to its earlier account, the instructor and head of department counselled Wakode and assured him that the examination incident would not affect his academic career.
The subsequent apology changes the way IIT Bombay is publicly describing those events.
The institute said the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death remain under investigation and that details relating to the events preceding it should not have been characterised before an official inquiry established them.
That distinction is significant because the examination episode became central to the institute’s initial public account of the death, while Wakode’s family has presented a different account of the circumstances surrounding his final months.
Professor remains on faculty
Doolla was the invigilator during the examination and was subsequently named in a police case registered after Wakode’s death.
The student’s parents have alleged that their son faced harassment and caste-based abuse. Police registered a case relating to alleged abetment of suicide and invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The investigation was later transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.
The allegations remain allegations and are subject to investigation. There has been no finding establishing that any particular person caused Wakode’s death.
The Crime Branch has taken over the probe and is examining digital evidence, including the student’s mobile phone, as investigators seek to establish the circumstances surrounding the death.
Doolla’s removal from the dean’s position therefore does not amount to his removal from IIT Bombay’s faculty. The institute has indicated that further action will depend on the investigation.
Faculty forum backs Doolla
The administrative action came even as IIT Bombay’s Faculty Forum expressed support for Doolla.
The forum said the professor had been performing his duties under the institute’s existing academic policies when he allegedly found Wakode using an unauthorised smartphone during the examination. It also expressed condolences to Wakode’s family.
The competing accounts have added to tensions on campus, with students questioning the institute’s handling of the examination incident and its initial public communication about the death.
Students submit 18-point charter
The administration has also engaged with protesting students over an 18-point charter of demands.
The demands include calls for an independent investigation into student deaths, stronger mental-health support, greater student representation in institutional processes and protections for students participating in the protests. The administration agreed to take forward the charter following discussions with students.
The agreement does not mean that every demand has already been implemented. Further decisions are expected through the institute’s administrative and governing processes.
Confusion over director’s resignation
The protests also generated conflicting reports about IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh B. Kedare.
Kedare reportedly told protesting students late Sunday that he would resign but would have to follow the required process. However, IIT Bombay subsequently issued a clarification saying that its director had not resigned and describing reports of his resignation as false.
The clarification illustrates how quickly information surrounding the campus dispute has been changing.
Probe remains ongoing
For now, the central circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death remain under investigation.
What is established is that the second-year student died on September 18 after an examination-related incident earlier that day, that his family subsequently made allegations of harassment and caste discrimination, and that police have registered a case involving a professor. The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the matter.
IIT Bombay’s latest apology also marks a clear retreat from presenting the examination incident as an established explanation for what happened to Wakode. The institute has acknowledged that the circumstances preceding his death must be determined through the investigation rather than through an institutional statement issued before those facts were established.
The investigation, along with the institute’s response to the students’ demands, will determine the next stage of the dispute.
