IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayan Doolla sent on leave, to face Crime Branch questioning

IIT Bombay has sent Professor Suryanarayan Doolla on leave as the Mumbai Crime Branch investigates the death of second-year student Sahil Wakode, sources said on Wednesday. Doolla has been named in an FIR registered on the basis of a complaint by Wakode’s family, which has alleged caste-based discrimination and institutional harassment.

The professor has also been summoned by the Crime Branch and is expected to be questioned on Wednesday as investigators work to establish the circumstances leading up to Wakode’s death.

Crime Branch examines statements, digital evidence

The agency has already recorded statements from Wakode’s parents and students who were with him during his examination, had contact with him at the hostel or were otherwise acquainted with him.

Statements of IIT Bombay professors and other faculty members are also expected to be recorded as the investigation progresses. Wakode’s parents may be questioned again if investigators need further information or clarification.

The Crime Branch is also examining Wakode’s locked iPhone with technical assistance. Investigators are attempting to retrieve data from the device, including his ChatGPT history, as they look into allegations and try to establish a sequence of events.

IIT-B forms 10-member panel

Separately, IIT Bombay has set up a 10-member high-level committee to examine the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death. The panel has been asked to submit its report within a week.

The committee is headed by Professor Ramesh Venkateswaran, Chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Palakkad. IIT Bombay professors K. Narayanan, Sandeep Kumar Saha and Deepti Kalsi are also members.

Three students—Hostel Affairs General Secretary Aditya Joshi, Overall Coordinator of the Student Mentor Programme Dev Arora and research scholar Devi Lal—have been included in the panel. A retired IAS officer and other members are also part of the committee.

What led to protests on campus?

Wakode, a BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging in his room on the IIT Bombay campus on Friday evening.

According to officials, he had allegedly been caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination hours earlier. His family has alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination and institutional harassment.

The controversy grew after IIT Bombay initially said Wakode had been caught using a phone to upload the examination paper to ChatGPT. The institute later apologised for the statement, saying it was inappropriate to disclose details that had not been established through the investigation.

The allegations against Doolla remain under investigation.