Sahil Wakode Death: IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla Suspended With Immediate Effect Amid Student Protests
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Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
IIT Bombay on Monday suspended Dean of Student Affairs Professor Suryanarayana Doolla with immediate effect amid protests over the suicide of second-year student Sahil Ravindra Wakode.
IIT Bombay Director Shirish B. Kedare reportedly said any further action against Doolla would be taken after an investigation. The suspension comes after Wakode’s family alleged institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination, while students protested on campus.
FIR Registered After Family Complaint
Following a complaint by Wakode’s parents, police reportedly registered an FIR on Saturday under charges of abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
A professor has been named as an accused in the case, which is being investigated by the Crime Branch, according to police.
Students protesting on campus claimed that Wakode had faced severe pressure and threats of academic suspension.
IIT Bombay’s Statement
According to an IIT Bombay statement, Wakode had allegedly uploaded an examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during a mid-semester examination. The institute reportedly said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.
The matter was discussed with Wakode by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career, the statement reportedly said.
Student Found Dead After Examination Incident
Wakode, 22, was a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. He was a native of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district.
According to officials, Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination on Friday. He later returned to his hostel room.
On Friday evening, hours after the examination incident, Wakode was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hotel room on IIT Bombay’s Powai campus.
