IIT Bombay Student Suicide: Professor Doolla Removed as Dean Amid Protest, Faculty Forums From Multiple IITs Back Him

Key Points

IIT BOMBAY has removed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from the position of Dean of Administrative Affairs, days after second-year B.tech student Sahil Wakhode died by suicide after he was caught using ChatGPT in an exam. The faculty forum of the institute came out in Doolla's defense and staged a walk-out protest on Monday, September 21, 2026.

Sahil, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering and a native of Yavatmal district in Maharashtra, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room at the Powai campus on late Friday night on September 17, 2026. The incident occurred hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

Professor Doolla was serving as the invigilator in the examination hall where Sahil and other students were appearing for a test. Doolla allegedly caught Sahil using a mobile phone and accessing ChatGPT during the examination. Later that day, Sahil died by suicide. The incident subsequently sparked protests on the IIT Bombay campus, with students and Sahil’s parents raising allegations of administrative heavy-handedness and caste-based discrimination.

Following a complaint filed by Sahil’s family, Mumbai Police booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which deals with abetment to suicide. Sahil’s family alleged that he was subjected to mistreatment and discrimination on the basis of his lower caste by Professor Doolla, which was perpetuated by IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kerade.

See also: IIT Roorkee Faces Backlash For Restricting Political Discussions and Posts That May Hinder "Relations Between Institute and the Central Government”

IIT Bombay Faculty Forum Stage Protest, Releases Statement 

Fellow IIT Bombay professors took to holding banners and placards and shouted slogans in support of Professor Doolla. In an official press statement , IIT Bombay faculty forum said it was “distressed by the vilification of our colleague’s reputation by false and misleading reports that have appeared in the media” and “stands strongly” with Professor Doolla. “We also reiterate that we are pained by the sad demise of our student due to the unfortunate incident on September 18,” the professor’s body continued. 

Rebuking media reports, the IIT Bombay faculty forum confirmed that Professor Doolla has not been suspended from the institution and still remains a faculty member. The professor’s forum also highlighted Doolla's career and called him a “distinguished member of the faculty” who has won several accolades and awards. During his tenure as Dean (Student Affairs), Doolla was instrumental in setting up several initiatives for the welfare of the student community of our campus, the forum continued in its statement.

IIT Madras and Delhi Express Solidarity With Professor Doolla

In addition to IIT Bombay, faculty associations from other IITs too have come to stand in solidarity with Doolla. In an official statement, IIT Madras faculty association expressed their sadness over Sahil’s unfortunate death and offered their condolences. They commented that  professor Doolla was only acting in accordance with the academic procedures as laid by the institute. 

The faculty forum at IIT Madras has also urged that the inquiry into the incident examine whether the institutional procedures used to deal with academic malpractice provide students with adequate support, counselling, and safeguards during periods of acute stress. It said such cases should be addressed while maintaining both academic integrity and compassion.

Meanwhile, the IIT Delhi faculty forum appealed to students, their families and others to extend their support so that “the faculty can discharge their duties in maintaining the integrity and fairness of the entire IIT system.”

“Professor Doolla was simply discharging his duties at IIT Bombay during an examination as per the institute's guidelines. It was noted that various allegations against him have been levelled in public without presenting any credible evidence. The forum expresses solidarity with Prof Doolla, his students, and the family, and condemns the tarnishing of his reputation,” the IIT-Delhi Faculty Forum said in a statement.

The forum also condemned what it described as “mob-driven behaviour,” alleging that such actions have influenced decision-making at the IITs on several occasions in the recent past. “It was noted that various allegations have been leveled against Professor Doolla without presenting any credible evidence,” the statement said.

The forum has called on IIT Bombay to provide all necessary institutional and personal assistance to Professor Doolla and his family, while also assuring them of its full support.

Columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni Calls for Withdrawal of SC/ST Act Case Against Professor Doolla

Public personalities too have backed Doolla and extended their support to the professor in light of the termination of his deanship. Indian columnist and IIT alumnus Sudheendra Kulkarni on Monday, September 21, 2026, called for the withdrawal of the SC/ST act case against Professor Doolla and said that faculty members shouldn’t be given punishment unless their guilt is explicitly proven. Appealing to the IIT alumni and former faculty members, Kulkarni said the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death should be investigated impartially. 

The columnist also remarked that students at IITs and other higher education institutions die by suicide across caste and community groups, adding that the reasons behind such incidents can differ from case to case. He said people from “upper castes” should not be automatically held responsible when a student belonging to an SC or ST community dies by suicide, with demands for action against them under the SC/ST Act. He termed such an approach as “reverse casteism” and called for a broader national discussion on possible reforms to the law.

Casteism And Larger Pattern Of Student Suicides

Sahil’s suicide marks the third such case to happen in IIT Bombay in the past seven months, with the other two reported in February and July 2026. While speaking to news agency IANS, one student remarked that the administration must have displayed some inefficiency in the handling of the circumstances preceding Sahil’s death that prompted him to take such an extreme step. 

Student suicides have remained a longstanding concern across IITs. At least eight such deaths have been reported across the institutes between January and September in 2026. A news report published by Hindustan Times in September 2026 reveals that 117 “unnatural deaths” happened in IITs in the past 20 years, out of which 82% happened within college premises.

See also: Student’s Death Forces IIT Delhi to Shut Down Classes: Students Demand Rs. 1 Crore Compensation for the Victim’s Family

Instances and accusations of casteism and discrimination in higher education institutions such as IITs is not a new debate either. Sahil’s death has triggered a controversy surrounding alleged caste discrimination after his father alleged that his son was being mistreated due to him being from a lower caste. In 2023, an 18-year Dalit student named Darshan Solanki died by suicide in IIT Bombay. In his suicide note, Darshan alleged that he was experiencing caste discrimination in the campus, a claim that his family reiterated.  

In 2012, at the Safdarjung Medical College, students belonging to scheduled castes and tribes were failing in their physiology  exam — despite having passed in biochemistry and anatomy. Taking cognizance of this incident, the government constituted the Mungekar committee to investigate into this matter. The committee found out that SC/ST students were being targeted because of their caste and deliberately failed by professors belonging to general categories. When the medical college re-conducted the physiology exam under the watch of the Delhi High Court, all the SC/ST students, who had previously failed, passed.

Sahil Wakode’s death is not an isolated tragedy but part of a recurring problem witnessed in India — caste discrimination allegations resurfacing alongside a persistent, unaddressed crisis of student suicides across IITs and higher education institutions. Each incident briefly draws outrage and inquiry, yet the underlying structural issues of the institution's inefficiency in dealing with such cases of death and casteism remain largely unaddressed and unresolved.

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