IIT Bombay has sent Professor Suryanarayana Doolla on leave after he was named in a case of alleged abetment to suicide and caste-based discrimination in connection with the death of second-year student Sahil Wakode, sources told NDTV on Wednesday. Doolla was earlier removed as Dean of Administrative Affairs following student protests over the case.
Wakode, 20, a second-year student in IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination. IIT Bombay had said he used the phone to upload the question paper to ChatGPT, although the institute later apologised for characterising details surrounding his death before they had been established through an investigation.
Wakode’s family has alleged that he faced caste-based harassment and humiliation for several months. His mother, Sonali Wakode, has claimed that Doolla made caste-based remarks to her son and said the family learnt about the alleged harassment when they visited his hostel room on September 13, five days before his death.
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She has also disputed IIT Bombay’s initial account that Wakode had used ChatGPT to cheat during the examination, saying those making the allegation should provide evidence.
The allegations against Doolla remain under investigation. IIT Bombay’s Faculty Forum has defended him, saying he was following prescribed examination procedures when he reported the alleged use of a mobile phone during the exam.
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IIT Bombay’s Faculty Forum president, Rajkumar Pant, said Wakode had not approached the institute’s SC/ST cell with any complaint in the recent past.
The institute backtracked on Monday from its earlier statement alleging Sahil had cheated.
Meanwhile, in a post on X, IIT Bombay said it apologised for “the statements contained in our earlier communication” concerning the circumstances of his death, adding that events preceding it remained subject to investigation.
We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil.
The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of…
— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) September 21, 2026
The case has sparked student protests on campus over caste-based discrimination.
Anyone affected by issues raised in this article can contact the Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health on 9999666555, or TISS iCall on 022-25521111 (Monday-Saturday, 8am to 10pm).
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