Archive · 23 Sep 2026
IIT Bombay Professor Sent on Leave After Student Suicide
A student at IIT Bombay died by suicide in his hostel room.
He had been caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a test.
His mother said he had also told the family that a professor abused and humiliated him because of his caste.
She alleged that this treatment continued for about three months.
Police registered a case against the professor for alleged abetment and caste discrimination.
The professor has now been sent on leave.
Students have been protesting the situation.
Reports disagree about whether the student was 20 or 22 years old.
Professor Suryanarayana Doolla was sent on leave amid protests over student Sahil Wakode’s death.
Wakode was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, after allegedly using a phone to access ChatGPT during an exam.
Police registered a case against Doolla alleging abetment and caste discrimination.
Wakode’s mother alleged that her son had been abused, humiliated and targeted because of his caste.
The reports differ on Wakode’s age, identifying him as either 20 or 22.
- Who
- IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode and Professor Suryanarayana Doolla are central to the case; Wakode’s mother, Sonali Wakode, made allegations against the professor.
- What
- Doolla was sent on leave after a case alleging abetment and caste discrimination was registered in connection with Wakode’s suicide.
- When
- Wakode was found dead on September 18; Doolla was reported sent on leave on Wednesday.
- Where
- Wakode was found in his hostel room at IIT Bombay.
- Why
- The action followed protests and allegations that Wakode was subjected to caste-based abuse and humiliation, alongside an incident in which he was caught using a phone to access ChatGPT during an examination.
- Professor
- Suryanarayana Doolla
- Student
- Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student
- Institution
- IIT Bombay
- Reported death
- Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18 evening.
- Police case
- Charges of alleged abetment and caste discrimination were registered against Doolla.
- Exam incident
- Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester test.
- Age discrepancy
- One report described Wakode as 20, while another described him as 22.
