IIT Bombay Professor Sent on Leave Amid Student Suicide Probe

On September 18 2026, 22-year-old second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT Bombay). The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the death as a possible case of abetment to suicide and caste-based discrimination. Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, the exam invigilator and dean of Administrative Affairs, was named in the FIR and placed on leave.

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Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester exam in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. His family filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Student protests demanded the arrest of Doolla and IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare, an independent inquiry, and reforms to disciplinary and mental-health support.

From Sahil's death to Prof Doolla's removal: Inside IIT Bombay's suicide row

• Student: Sahil Wakode, 22, second-year BTech, Energy Science and Engineering.

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• Faculty accused: Professor Suryanarayana Doolla (invigilator, dean).

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• Charges: abetment to suicide and caste discrimination under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

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• Investigators: Mumbai Crime Branch and a 10-member internal IIT Bombay panel (including three student representatives).

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The institute said Wakode had been counselled after the exam incident and no disciplinary action was taken before his death. The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, representing roughly 750 faculty members, defended Doolla, stating he acted per Senate-approved procedures and was only relieved of administrative duties. The ABVP called for a thorough investigation after facts are established.

Not suspended: IIT-B faculty forum backs Prof Doolla after student suicide

Wakode’s parents were taken to Mumbai in a private car by men in plain clothes and later returned home after the Crime Branch assured a thorough probe. The family maintains that Sahil repeatedly warned them about caste-based slurs and that the institute’s SC/ST cell had no record of a formal complaint.

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• Cheating allegation – IIT Bombay initially claimed Sahil used ChatGPT, later retracted the statement and apologized.

IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, At Centre Of Student's Suicide Row, Sent On Leave

• SC/ST cell record – Faculty Forum president Rajkumar Pant says the cell has no record, while the family alleges repeated harassment.

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• Evidence of caste slurs – The FIR cites the family’s testimony; no independent corroboration has been presented publicly.

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The internal panel must submit its findings within a week of its September 23 formation. Student demands call for an interim report by September 30 and a final report by October 15. The Mumbai Crime Branch continues to record statements and examine digital evidence, including the locked iPhone used during the exam. Further arrests will depend on the outcomes of both investigations.

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