IIT Faculty Question SC/ST Charges in Sahil Wakode Case
Faculty forums at several IITs have backed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and called for due process as police investigate Sahil Wakode’s death and allegations of caste-based harassment.
Faculty forums at several IITs have expressed support for Professor Suryanarayana Doolla in the investigation into the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, while some faculty members have questioned the SC/ST Act charges and called for due process. The allegations against Doolla and the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death remain under investigation.
IIT Bombay’s Board of Governors has sent Doolla on leave and formed a 10-member panel to examine the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death. The panel, headed by IIT Palakkad Board of Governors chairman Professor Ramesh Venkateswaran, has been asked to submit its report within a week.
Faculty forums at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have called for a fair investigation. IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Rajkumar S Pant has said there is no confirmed evidence of casteist remarks by Doolla and stated that Wakode had not approached the institute’s SC/ST cell with a recent complaint. These statements represent the faculty forum’s position and do not establish what happened.
Wakode’s parents have alleged caste-based harassment and mental pressure and sought action against Doolla and other institute officials. Police have registered a case involving abetment of suicide and provisions of the SC/ST Act, while the Mumbai Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage, statements and other evidence.
The student had died by suicide on September 18, hours after an incident during a mid-semester examination. IIT Bombay later apologised for its initial communication, saying the circumstances should not have been characterised before an investigation established the facts. The competing claims are yet to be conclusively established.
