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IIT Bombay Suspends Dean Doolla Over Student Suicide

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 8:01 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

IIT Bombay suspended Professor Suryanarayana Doolla as dean after a student suicide.
Second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode was found dead on September 18, 2026.
IIT Bombay claimed Wakode used a phone for ChatGPT during exam, then apologized and retracted.
Students presented an 18-point charter for a probe and mental-health reforms; Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare signed it.
Mumbai Branch is reviewing CCTV while an FIR accuses Doolla of abetment and caste bias.

History

Historical Context

India’s University Grants Commission set counseling guidelines in 2003, requiring one counselor per 1,000 students and allocating INR2 crore. The rule followed earlier reform pushes, notably Kapil Sibal’s 2009 call to replace the UGC— which oversees 57 central universities— and the 2018 attempt to repeal its act. IIT Bombay’s 2026 suspension of Dean Suryanarayana Doolla thus re-highlights the mandate as students demand a probe.

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Story summary

IIT Bombay suspended Professor Suryanarayana Doolla as dean after a student suicide.
Second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode was found dead on September 18, 2026.
IIT Bombay claimed Wakode used a phone for ChatGPT during exam, then apologized and retracted.
Students presented an 18-point charter for a probe and mental-health reforms; Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare signed it.
Mumbai Branch is reviewing CCTV while an FIR accuses Doolla of abetment and caste bias.

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