IIT Bombay has sent Professor Suryanarayana Doolla on leave amid a police case linked to the death of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode, who was found dead in his hostel room on September 18. The development comes days after Doolla was removed as Dean of Administrative Affairs following student protests. He is scheduled to appear before the police on Wednesday as investigators examine allegations of abetment and caste-based discrimination.
The IIT Bombay case has drawn intense attention after Sahil, a second-year B Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging in his hostel room. His death occurred hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.
A case has been registered against Professor Doolla on allegations that include abetment and caste discrimination. Doolla is expected to appear before the police as part of the ongoing investigation.
Sahil's family has alleged that the student had complained to them about sustained harassment and humiliation on the basis of caste. His mother, Sonali Wakode, said her son had told the family that he was being subjected to abuse and torture. She alleged that Sahil had specifically named Doolla and claimed the professor had made caste-related remarks.
According to his mother, the alleged mistreatment had continued for around three months. She also said that when the family met Sahil in his hostel room on September 13, he told them that he was facing harassment.
The allegations are now part of the police investigation, and their veracity will have to be established through the due process of law.
The controversy also intensified over the circumstances surrounding the examination. IIT Bombay had initially said Sahil was caught using ChatGPT during the examination. His mother disputed the allegation and demanded evidence to establish that he had cheated.
The institute subsequently withdrew its earlier account. In a statement issued on Monday, IIT Bombay apologised for its previous communication concerning the circumstances surrounding Sahil's death and said that the details leading to the incident remained under investigation by the appropriate authorities.
Meanwhile, IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Rajkumar Pant said Sahil had not approached the institute's SC/ST cell with a complaint in the recent past.
Doolla had already been removed from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs on Monday following protests by students demanding accountability in the wake of Sahil's death.
The latest decision to send him on leave comes as the police investigation proceeds. The case has raised wider questions on student welfare, institutional accountability and the manner in which allegations surrounding a student's death are handled while an official inquiry is underway.
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