IIT Bombay to replace ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans after student's death

Mumbai: The IIT Bombay has initiated replacement of ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans after the recent death by suicide of second year B Tech student Sahil Wakode, sources familiar with the development said.

Sahil, a Department of Energy Science and Engineering student 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.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) is set to remove ceiling fans from hostels following recent incidents of student suicides, the sources said.


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Wall-mounted fans will be installed across all hostels on campus and in other utility areas across the campus.

The image of a batch of wall-mounted fans arriving at the campus as part of 'renovation work' has gone viral on social media.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gavande criticised the move, saying fan replacement cannot solve the student suicide crisis.

Gavande questioned whether replacing ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans could address the larger issue of student suicides, and called for greater focus on suicide prevention and mental health support.

"Does IIT Bombay really think that replacing ceiling fans with wall fans will solve the suicide problem affecting IITs across the country?" Gavande said.

The institute had discussed the move to replace the fans after a student died by suicide in July, and the issue gained renewed attention after Sahil's death by suicide last week.

Gavande said more than 117 students had died by suicide at IITs over the last 20 years.