Mumbai: IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in connection with the alleged suicide of student Sahil Wakode, has been sent on leave amid an ongoing investigation, sources said Wednesday.
A case has been registered against Doolla on allegations including abetment to suicide and caste-based discrimination following the death of Wakode, a student of the institute.
Wakode, a second-year B.Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging in his hostel room on the Powai campus on the evening of September 18. The incident took place hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination.
According to sources, Doolla, who teaches in the same department and was reportedly serving as an invigilator during the examination, had reported the alleged use of the mobile phone to the institute authorities in accordance with established procedures.
Initial reports had suggested that Wakode had used his mobile phone to upload the examination question paper to an artificial intelligence platform. However, the institute subsequently withdrew from providing a detailed characterisation of the incident, stating that the matter was under investigation.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch is expected to question Doolla as part of its probe into Wakode’s death. Officials said the professor’s statement has not yet been recorded, while investigators have already spoken to the student’s parents.
Wakode’s mother, Sonali Wakode, has alleged that her son had told the family that he was subjected to humiliation, abuse and harassment on the basis of his caste.
According to reports, she claimed that her son had specifically named Doolla and alleged that the professor had made remarks referring to differences in caste. She further claimed that Wakode had told the family that such alleged behaviour had continued for around three months.
The allegations are part of the investigation and have not been independently established.
The student’s parents have demanded the immediate arrest of Doolla in connection with their son’s death on Tuesday. Doolla had earlier been removed from his position as Dean of Students’ Welfare at IIT Bombay.
IANS
