IIT Bombay calls Director Kedare's resignation news false, says Sahil's death details are under probe; Dean Doolla removed

IIT Bombay on Monday clarified that Director Prof Shireesh B. Kedare has not resigned, calling reports of his resignation false, while also apologising for its earlier communication on the circumstances surrounding the death of second-year student Sahil Ravindra Wakode.

The institute said the details leading up to Wakode's death remain subject to investigation and that it was inappropriate to characterise events preceding his demise before they were established through the investigative process.

The clarification came a day after Kedare told protesting students that he would resign, but would have to follow the formal process and convey his decision after a meeting on Monday.


IIT Bombay removed Prof Suryanarayana Doolla from the post of Dean, officials said, according to PTI. The institute has also apologised for disclosing the student's alleged use of AI before an investigation into the matter had begun, PTI reported.

Also read: IIT-Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who faces SC/ST Act FIR in Sahil Wakode case, has multiple teaching, research awards

The developments came amid protests over Wakode's death, earlier the institute announced that Dean of Student Affairs Prof Suryanarayana Doolla had been suspended with immediate effect and that further action would follow an investigation.

The IIT Bombay Board was scheduled to meet on Monday to discuss the issue. The institute's administration had also agreed to 18 demands put forward by the protesters during a meeting.

The students had demanded accountability and transparency from the administration following Wakode's death. Police personnel were deployed on campus as discussions between the students and the administration continued.

What happened before the student's death?
According to IIT Bombay's earlier statement, Wakode was allegedly found using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination and had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.

The institute said the matter was discussed with Wakode by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. Wakode subsequently returned to his hostel room and was later found dead.

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum had expressed solidarity with Prof Doolla, saying he was following institutional protocol after discovering the student's "unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone".

The forum said Doolla was invigilating the mid-semester examination from 11 am to 1 pm on September 18 when he saw a student using a smartphone without authorisation. It described the incident as "academic malpractice" and said Doolla reported it to institute authorities in line with institute-approved procedures.

Family alleges harassment, caste discrimination
Wakode's family has alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination. His father, a resident of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, filed a police complaint alleging that the professor had hurled casteist slurs at the student over the preceding three months.

Following the complaint, Mumbai Police registered an FIR naming Prof Suryanarayana Doolla. The case includes charges of abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The case has since been transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is investigating the allegations.
The Faculty Forum, meanwhile, said Doolla was "merely discharging his academic duties" and following institute-approved procedures.


Dean of Student Affairs suspended
Following the developments, IIT Bombay Director Kedare said Dean of Student Affairs Prof Suryanarayana Doolla had been suspended with immediate effect. "Any further action will be taken following an investigation," Kedare said. Doolla is also the professor and exam invigilator named in the FIR registered after Wakode's father's complaint.

Investigation now underway
IIT Bombay has said the circumstances surrounding Wakode's death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities. The institute's latest clarification also acknowledged that details about the events preceding his death should not have been characterised before being established through the investigation.