Mumbai : IIT-Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla has been officially suspended following three days of student protests over the death by suicide of second-year student Sahil Wakode. Doolla, a faculty member of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was the invigilator during the examination in which Wakode was allegedly found using a mobile phone and seeking answers through ChatGPT.
The meeting followed days of protests demanding accountability over Wakode’s death, an independent inquiry and reforms to IIT-Bombay’s academic and student-welfare systems. The development marks a significant escalation in the controversy surrounding the examination incident. Wakode’s parents have alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination and have held institute officials responsible for their son’s death.
The institute said he was counselled after the incident and assured that the matter would not adversely affect his academic career. It had also maintained that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him at that stage. The IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum had come out in support of Doolla, saying he was performing his duties as an invigilator and had reported the alleged examination malpractice in accordance with established institutional procedure.
The charter also calls for a code of conduct for faculty, mental-health sensitisation, improvements to counselling services, changes to the disciplinary process and greater student representation. Students have proposed a task force comprising students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts to examine student distress on campus. The administration has also been asked to provide a written implementation plan for the demands.
Read Also : Bengal SIR Backlog Mounts : 37 Lakh Appeals, EC Calls For More Tribunals