2 hrs ago
IIT Bombay Protests Intensify Amid Dispute Over Student Death
A student named Sahil Ravindra Wakode died at IIT Bombay after an examination incident.
Students began protesting and asking for changes to the institute’s processes.
Some people say Professor Suryanarayana Doolla harassed Sahil and made caste-related comments.
Professor Rajkumar S Pant said those allegations should not be treated as proven before the investigation is finished.
Pant said Doolla was acting against suspected unfair means during an examination.
He also said the institute’s SC/ST Cell had not received a complaint from Sahil.
The Mumbai Crime Branch is checking security-camera footage to understand what happened.
Doolla no longer serves as Dean of Administrative Affairs, but he remains a professor.
The protests include concerns about student welfare, institutional procedures and the handling of the case.
Faculty Forum president Rajkumar S Pant said Sahil Wakode’s death may have triggered wider student frustrations.
Pant defended Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and urged people to await the investigation into alleged caste-based harassment.
Pant said IIT Bombay’s SC/ST Cell had no recorded complaint from Sahil before his death.
Mumbai Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel.
Doolla was relieved as Dean of Administrative Affairs but remains a professor while the investigation continues.
- Who
- IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, Faculty Forum president Rajkumar S Pant, protesting students and the Mumbai Crime Branch.
- What
- Protests and counter-protests followed Sahil’s death, amid allegations of caste-based harassment and a dispute over an examination incident involving Doolla.
- Where
- IIT Bombay in Mumbai, including the examination hall, campus and hostel.
- When
- Sahil was found dead on September 18; Doolla was relieved of his administrative duties on September 21, and the investigation and protests continued afterward.
- Why
- Students raised concerns about institutional processes, student welfare and alleged harassment, while the Faculty Forum said Doolla was following institute rules regarding suspected academic misconduct.
Student Concerns and Allegations
Faculty Forum Defense
Alleged harassment
Student Concerns and Allegations
Sahil’s family alleged that Doolla harassed him for months and made casteist remarks; students are demanding accountability and reforms.
Faculty Forum Defense
Pant said he could not confirm what was allegedly said because he was not present and urged people to await the investigation.
Examination incident
Student Concerns and Allegations
Student representatives said their protest did not justify academic misconduct and did not presume Doolla’s guilt, while questioning institutional processes.
Faculty Forum Defense
Pant said Doolla had a duty to act after allegedly seeing a student use unfair means during an examination.
Cause of the protests
Student Concerns and Allegations
Students raised broader concerns about institutional procedures and student welfare following Sahil’s death.
Faculty Forum Defense
Pant said the death may have acted as a trigger for wider frustrations in IIT Bombay’s highly competitive environment, while stating that the institute had wellness cells and sensitisation programs.
Key facts
- Student
- Sahil Ravindra Wakode, an IIT Bombay student who was found dead in his hostel room.
- Professor named in allegations
- Suryanarayana Doolla, who denies no claims in the article but is defended by the Faculty Forum.
- Faculty Forum position
- President Rajkumar S Pant said Doolla acted according to institute procedures and that the allegations require investigation.
- SC/ST Cell
- Pant said the cell had not received even an informal complaint from Sahil before his death.
- CCTV timeline
- Crime Branch said Sahil was in the examination hall from about 12:30 p.m. to 12:45 p.m. on September 18, reached his hostel around 1:25 p.m. and did not leave afterward.
- Doolla’s current status
- He was relieved as Dean of Administrative Affairs but continues as a professor in good standing.
- Investigation
- The Mumbai Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel.
Quotes
Rajkumar S. Pant
President of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum
“We are extremely pained and upset at the loss of a young life from our institute. The whole problem, I think, is that before a proper investigation has been completed and before the facts of the matter are out, people have started taking sides and making assumptions.”
republicworld.com
“Professor Doolla has simply been relieved of his duties as the Dean of Administrative Affairs. He continues to be a professor in good standing at the institute. He has not been suspended from his position.”
republicworld.com
Sources
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