Published Sep 21, 2026 | 6:05 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 21, 2026 | 6:05 PM
IIT Bombay. (X)
Synopsis: Powai Police registered an FIR invoking provisions on abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint from Sahil’s father, Ravindra. The family has alleged that Sahil faced caste-based abuse, casteist remarks, threats and sustained mental harassment from Prof Doolla during this period.
The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) on Monday, 21 September, announced that Prof Suryanarayana Doolla has been removed from the Dean’s post, days after a Dalit student’s suicide.
News agency PTI reported, the institute’s director, Prof Shireesh Kedare, in an official mail, said that Prof Doolla, presently serving as Dean (Administrative Affairs), has been removed from the post, as per officials.
According to Indian Express report, Doolla, however, remains a professor at the institution. And that has angered protesting students, who continue to demand his suspension as a professor and not merely his removal from an administrative position.
Meanwhile, the IIT Bombay also clarified on X, that the director has not resigned.
They wrote: “Director IIT Bombay has NOT resigned. We categorically state that the related news is false.”
Director IIT Bombay has NOT resigned.
We categorically state that the related news is false. https://t.co/Prxomzm7Ux— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) September 21, 2026
Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday, 18 September.
Also Read: IIT-Bombay director says he will resign after Dalit student’s suicide sparks protests
IIT-Bombay, in a statement on Monday, apologised for its earlier statement claiming that Sahil had been found using a mobile phone during an examination earlier that day and had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
In a statement issued on Friday, the institute had maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him and that the matter had been discussed with him by the instructor, faculty adviser and Head of the Department. They counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.
Sahil subsequently returned to his hostel room, where he was later found dead, the institute said.
On Monday, the institute said that the details and circumstances leading up to Sahil’s death “remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities”.
The family and some students, however, said that officials took Sahil out of the examination hall and threatened him with suspension.
The students had been demanding, among other things, the immediate suspension of Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination during which Sahil was reported for possessing a mobile phone.
Powai Police registered an FIR invoking provisions on abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, based on a complaint from Sahil’s father, Ravindra.
The family has alleged that Sahil faced caste-based abuse, casteist remarks, threats and sustained mental harassment from Prof Doolla during this period.
According to the complaint, Sahil had spoken to his family about the alleged harassment and discrimination, though the family did not file a complaint with the institute at the time.
The investigation has since been transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.
Amid the student protests, the IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum, in a statement dated 20 September, said it stood in solidarity with Prof Doolla. It said Prof Doolla had been “discharging his duties in line with the institute’s Senate-approved academic policies currently in force”.
The Faculty Forum said Prof Doolla had observed that a student was engaging in “academic malpractice” and reported the incident to institute authorities for further action.
The Faculty Forum said it was “absolutely distressed with the tarnishing of the reputation” of Prof Doolla.
Sahil’s death is the third reported suicide of a second-year student at IIT-Bombay this year. It follows the deaths of 21-year-old Naman Agarwal in February and a 20-year-old second-year student in July.
(If you need support or know someone who has suicidal thoughts, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist or contact the helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families. Tele-MANAS: 14416; Life Suicide Prevention: 7893078930; Arogya Vani: 104; Sahay Helpline: 080-25497777; Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584.)
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
