IIT Bombay student backs professor, questions allegations of casteist slurs

Amid IIT Bombay protests after Sahil Wakode's death, one of the students questioned allegations against Professor Dhulan, while student representatives clarified their stance on cheating. Faculty forums at IIT Delhi and Madras urged due process.

In Short

• IIT Bombay students demand impartial probe, deny condoning cheating
• Professor Doolla removed as Dean but remains faculty during investigation
• Utkarsh defends Professor Doolla, denies casteist slurs in exam incident

Amid the ongoing controversy at IIT Bombay following the death by suicide of second-year student Sahil Wakode, a third-year student, Utkarsh, has spoken against allegations levelled against Professor Doolha and raised questions about claims surrounding the incident.

Utkarsh said that preventing a student from cheating cannot be considered wrong and maintained that there was “absolutely no atmosphere of discrimination” on the campus. He also pointed to IIT Bombay’s examination process, saying answer sheets carry students’ roll numbers rather than their names. Based on this, he questioned how a professor who caught Sahil during an examination would have immediately known his identity or used casteist slurs.

His comments come as student representatives continue to seek institutional reforms and an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.

STUDENTS CLARIFY STAND ON ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT

IIT Bombay student representatives have clarified that their protest was not intended to justify academic misconduct. In an official statement issued on September 21, they said they did not condone cheating or any form of academic misconduct.

At the same time, the student representatives said Sahil’s death had prompted students to examine the systems and processes within the institute. They reiterated their demand for institutional reforms and an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The statement came after three days of protests on the IIT Bombay campus and hours after the institute removed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs.

IIT Bombay has said Doolla will continue as a professor while the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death proceeds.

IIT DELHI, MADRAS FACULTY FORUMS EXPRESS SOLIDARITY

Amid the controversy, faculty forums at IIT Delhi and IIT Madras have expressed solidarity with IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla.

The faculty bodies called for due process and cautioned against public vilification. The IIT Delhi faculty forum also described the conduct as “mob-driven” behaviour.

Both forums expressed condolences to Sahil’s family and the wider IIT Bombay community. They also stressed that the circumstances surrounding the incident should be examined fairly through established institutional and legal processes.

The statements come amid the ongoing controversy at IIT Bombay following Sahil’s death on September 18 and the protests and demands for institutional reforms that followed.

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