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Expressing deep anguish over the tragic death by suicide of student Sahil Ravindra Wakode at IIT Bombay, alumnus and socio-political activist Sudheendra Kulkarni on Tuesday called for a thorough and impartial inquiry into the incident, while strongly questioning the registration of an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Professor Suryanarayan Doolla.
Terming the loss of the young student "traumatic for the family, friends, and the entire IIT community," Kulkarni stressed that the circumstances that led to the drastic step must be investigated impartially to prevent such tragedies across educational institutions in the future. "This incident is most traumatic for the family, parents, and friends on the campus. A young boy ended his life, and everyone feelsfirst of all, the parents themselvesthat there should be an impartial inquiry to find out the truth. We must work to minimise and eliminate the possibility of such suicides happening in the future, whether at IIT Bombay or any other institution across the country," Kulkarni said. He also emphasised the need to address academic and non-academic mental stress and insecurity among students across higher education campuses. However, Kulkarni expressed strong reservations over the booking of Professor Suryanarayan Doolla under the SC/ST Act, calling it "unjust" and warning that such actions without preliminary inquiry create a "fear psychosis" among faculty members. "Without any inquiry or evidence coming up, a distinguished professor, Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, has been booked under the SC/ST Act, whose provisions are extremely stringent and draconian. From the facts known so far, he was simply carrying out his duties. If a teacher doing their duty can be booked under this act, the entire faculty community would be under fear psychosis," he said. Criticising the stringent provisions of the legislation, Kulkarni alleged that the act is increasingly being misused. "The time has come for the entire society and all political parties to look into the provisions of this act and see how its misuse can be stopped. The general principle of justice is that a person is innocent until proven guilty, but here one is treated as guilty and has to prove their innocence," he stated, urging the IIT alumni, faculty, and student community across the country to raise their voice against the misuse of the law. Commenting on the administrative measures taken by the institute, Kulkarni noted that the IIT Bombay administration handled the matter in a "balanced and mature" manner. "Professor Doolla has been temporarily relieved from the office of the Dean of Student Affairs while the inquiry is underway, which is the right administrative step. He has not been dismissed from his professorship because no offence has been established against him yet," he said. Kulkarni also commended the student body for handling the situation with sensitivity and urged political outfits not to exploit the tragedy for political gains. "The students of IIT Bombay have shown great sensitivity and maturity. They want a fair inquiry and have rightly said that political parties should stay away. We must not allow political parties to politicise this tragic incident for their own ends," he added. The remarks come amid an ongoing investigation into Sahil's death by the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. The probe is examining CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel to establish the sequence of events. According to investigators, CCTV footage from the examination hall shows Sahil between 12:30 pm and 12:45 pm on September 18, with around 15 minutes of the examination remaining. He was allegedly seen looking at something in his pocket before Doolla questioned him and took him aside. The footage is being examined as part of the investigation. Sahil later reached his hostel room at around 1:25 pm and did not step out thereafter. He was found dead in his room later that day. Sahil's family has alleged caste-based harassment and mental harassment and sought a thorough probe, including a CBI inquiry. A case has also been registered under the SC/ST Act. IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Professor Rajkumar S Pant has defended Doolla and said the professor was discharging his duties according to institute procedures."Students can protest due to various reasons, and sometimes an incident or a situation can act as a trigger for them to express their frustration about many underlying issues," Pant told ANI. Pant also said Doolla had simply been relieved of his duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs and continued to be a professor at IIT Bombay. "Professor Doolla has simply been relieved of his duties as the Dean of Administrative Affairs. He continues to be a professor in good standing at the institute. He has not been suspended from his position," Pant said. The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has staged a march in support of Doolla, while students have continued to demand institutional reforms and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Sahil's death. Student representatives have maintained that their protests were not intended to justify academic misconduct. IIT Bombay had earlier issued a statement describing Sahil as having been caught using a phone during an examination and alleging that he had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT. The institute later apologised for its earlier communication and retracted its characterisations of the circumstances before the investigation was completed. The case has since been transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is continuing its investigation. (ANI)
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