IIT-Bombay students seek institutional reforms, accountability

The students said they had formulated a comprehensive set of demands over the past few days and formally submitted them to the IIT Bombay Director.

Mumbai: Students of IIT Bombay have called for “meaningful institutional reforms” and greater accountability following the death of a fellow student, saying their protest was aimed at raising concerns over systemic issues at the institute and not justifying academic misconduct.

In a statement, some students of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) said they do not condone cheating or any form of academic misconduct, but the death of 22-year-old Sahil Wakode, a second year B Tech student, had prompted them to reflect on the institute’s systems and processes.

“The protest initiated by students was not intended to justify academic misconduct. It was a collective effort to raise concerns about systemic issues that have existed for some time and to seek meaningful and strong institutional reforms,” the statement said.

The students said they had formulated a comprehensive set of demands over the past few days and formally submitted them to the IIT Bombay Director, who had agreed to work towards implementing them within specified timelines.

They also welcomed an open house held with the Director and other members of the institute administration, saying it provided students an opportunity to directly raise their concerns and questions.

The Director addressed the concerns and responded to questions raised by students, the statement said, adding that students appreciated his engagement with the student community and his approach towards identifying and addressing institutional issues.

On the removal of Suryanarayana Doolla, from the post of Dean (Administrative Affairs), the students said their position had never been to presume guilt or prejudge the ongoing investigation.

“We stand with Professor Doolla as a member of our faculty community and believe that the investigation must be allowed to proceed fairly and impartially,” they said.

The students said their demand was that Doolla be relieved of his administrative duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs during the investigation as a precautionary measure to ensure that the probe remained independent and could not be influenced.

“The findings and appropriate action should follow from the established investigative process,” they said.

The student representatives also said the concerns arising from the incident should remain student-led and be addressed within the institute.

“The loss of Sahil should not become a platform for external political interests, organisations, or narratives to shape the concerns of the IIT Bombay student community,” they said.

The students said their demands had emerged from the experiences and concerns of students on campus and that the reform process should remain rooted in the student community and the institute.

“We stand united in seeking accountability, transparency and meaningful institutional reform,” the statement said.

The statement said students would continue to raise their concerns, represent the voices of students and work with the institute towards building a safer, more accountable and supportive campus.

Sahil, a student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering hailing from Maharashtra‘s Yavatmal district, was found hanging in his hostel room on the Powai campus on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

Doolla has been named in the FIR in the case, which alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination. He has been booked under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and on abetment to suicide charge.

The institute issued a public apology on Monday after students accused it of ‘defaming’ Sahil, without a detailed inquiry, in a previous communication.