Arya News - The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay held a campus march on Monday, in support of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla – who is currently under ongoing police investigations for abetting suicide and subjecting a student to casteist harassment.
MUMBAI – The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay expressed solidarity with Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who is allegedly at the centre of a controversy involving BTech student Sahil Wakode, who allegedly committed suicide.
Around 4:30 pm on Monday evening, many members of the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay held a campus march in support of Doolla, who has been named as an accused in the police FIR, after Sahil Wakode’s father filed a police complaint, alleging that his son was subjected to casteist harassment.
Based on the complaint, the Powai Police registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), pertaining to abetment of suicide, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The Mumbai Police transferred the case to the Crime Branch on Saturday night, and officials said the professor and others are likely to be questioned as part of the investigation.
The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay also issued a press release defending Doolla and disputing reports that he has been suspended from IIT Bombay.
“The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay stands strongly with our colleague Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. We would like to clarify that contrary Contrary to several reports in the media, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla has not been suspended from his service from IIT Bombay, and continues to be a member of the faculty of the institute in good standing. We understand that he has been temporarily relieved from his duties as Dean (Administrative Affairs) of the institute, to enable an independent and unbiased investigation of the unfortunate incident on September 18 2026,” the Forum stated.
“We are distressed by the vilification of our colleague’s reputation by and misleading reports that have appeared in the media,” according to the press release issued by the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay.
The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay press release was issued in the name of Professor Rajkumar S Pant, President of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum.
Meanwhile, IIT Bombay administration tweeted an official statement on its X on handle on Monday stating, “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 the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process”.
Earlier in earlier communication, the IIT Bombay administration had referred to Sahil’s alleged use of an artificial intelligence platform during an examination, which prompted a protest from IIT Bombay students who argued that proceedings before the disciplinary action committee should have remained confidential until a conclusion was reached.
“There should be regular monitoring of the investigations by the victim’s father and five to seven representatives with the overall case being probed under the supervision by the officer of rank of Joint Commissioner of Police,” said Advocate Nikhil Kamble, who is representing the family.
“I appeal for a thorough investigation into those who pushed him toward suicide through torture and caste discrimination. I urge the government to ensure justice for my child by terminating them from service,” Sahil’s father Ravindra Wakode said.
In a related development, Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) founder-president and former MP Prakash Ambedkar expressed serious concern about the incident at IIT Bombay.
“Another Dalit student has lost their life. A Dalit student committed suicide after facing three months of continuous caste-based abuse, threats and harassment at the hands of IIT Bombay faculty. How many more lives will be lost
before caste-discrimination in educational institutions is taken seriously?,” Ambedkar tweeted on his X handle.