'Stress, Fear, Not Casteism': IIT Bombay Students Reject Abuse Claims After Peer's Suicide; Faculty Body Backs Professor

In a suicide case at IIT Bombay, involving a 22-year-old student, conflicting claims have surfaced over the use of casteist slurs by a professor. While students protested against the professor, leading to his suspension, there is a section of students who have rejected the use of caste-based remarks while emphasising a need for a more student-friendly approach by administration and teachers.

Reacting to the death of Sahil Wakode, a student said that stress could be the reason behind the extreme step. "I think stress is the reason; otherwise, there is no such reason why Sahil would take a step... Stress remains, and I feel that's the part of engineering."

An alumnus of the premier institute recalled the strict approach of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla during his college days. He said that the fear of action may have prompted the student to die by suicide.

"When I was in IIT Bombay. Professor Doolla was the dean of student affairs for three years. During his tenure, he had suspended many students for very trivial reasons. He used to even remove students from hostels. This has created fear in the minds of students."

He further added, "If it's true that he caught the student cheating and had threatened of action, the student might have taken the extreme step out of fear."

A student of the electrical department said that mid-term exams were underway and Wakode was caught copying. He rejected the caste-abuse allegations against Professor Doolla. "As you know, mid-semester exams were underway, and he was caught copying and had entered the exam hall with a mobile phone. So the professor might have said something that prompted him towards suicide, but the caste angle being given to the incident is completely wrong. Here in IIT Bombay, there is no type of discrimination."

Another student, who also rejected the caste-based remarks against the deceased, said there is now consensus between students, but all agree on a need for change in the student welfare mechanism.

"Changes need to be brought on how student welfare is done, and there should be psychiatrists in students' cells. Their voices need to be heard before making decisions. But, there is disagreement among students over the treatment being done to Dr Doolla and the caste angle being brought in. This is not the case at all."

VIDEO | IIT Bombay suicide: "He may have been stressed, but we don't think caste discrimination was involved," students react to 22-year-old's death. pic.twitter.com/iPJdQVX51r

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 21, 2026

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Professor Doolla booked under SC-ST Act

The caste-based mocking of Sahil was alleged by his father, who accused both the professor and the administration.

"The IIT Bombay administration tortured my son and discriminated against him on caste lines," he claimed. Based on his complaint, a case of abatement of suicide was registered by the police under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Faculty forum 'strongly supports' Doolla

Meanwhile, the faculty forum of IIT Bombay, a body of over 750 professors, has backed Professor Doolla. The professors' body said it "stands strongly" with Doolla, who has been removed from the post of Dean (Administrative Affairs) with immediate effect.

While the faculty forum mourned the death of Sahil, it also said it was "distressed by the vilification of our colleague's reputation by false and misleading media reports".

IIT Bombay apologises for revealing AI use by student ahead of probe

Earlier in the day, IIT Bombay issued an apology over a communication that revealed the use of AI by the student during the examination. The institute apologised for the circumstances surrounding the death before the investigation.

ALSO READ: IIT Bombay Issues Apology Over Student's Suicide, Professor Named In FIR Suspended; What Are 18 Demands Of Protesters?

"The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process,” the institution said in a post on X.

Protests by students continued on the campus on Monday, leading to talks with Director Shirish B Kedare. Kedare accepted the 18-point charter of the students. An official document was signed by Kedare after a prolonged meeting with students.

While the demands were acknowledged, the administration clarified that formal action against Doolla will proceed according to due legal and institutional procedures.