IIT Bombay suicide case: Zoho's Sridhar Vembu backs Prof Doolla booked over ‘casteist slurs’ — SC/ST Act ‘weaponised’

Zoho founder Sridhar Vembu backed an argument opposing the charges against Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, over the suicide of a 22-year-old student at the college.

Resharing one Ananthan Ayyasamy's post on X, Vembu said, “I deeply respect Ananthan's principled stand in this matter. Prof Suryanarayana Doolla should not be subject to this.”

Prof Doolla was accused of hurling casteist slurs at the student over the last three months.

What's the entire case?

Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a 22-year-old student of IIT Bombay, died by suicide in his hostel room Friday evening after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone during an examination, police told PTI.

He was a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department.

According to a statement from IIT Bombay, Wakode had allegedly uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during the exam.

Wakode’s parents and some of the students alleged that the professor had taken him out of the exam hall and threatened him with suspension. But in a statement, IIT-Bombay said that “no disciplinary action was initiated against the student”.

Wakode, a native of Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room in Hostel Number 4 on the Powai campus on Friday evening, an official said.

The official said Wakode's death came to light after his hostel mates got no response from his room and alerted the authorities, who then informed the police.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot, the official said, adding that the Powai police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and sent the body for a post-mortem examination.

Allegations of torture; SC/ST Act against Prof

The deceased student's parents arrived in Mumbai from Yavatmal and claimed their son was subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination prior to his death, the official was quoted by PTI as saying.

Wakode's mother alleged her son was tortured. "My son was killed, tortured. I want justice," she told reporters.

His father filed a formal police complaint. He levelled serious allegations of harassment in the complaint, saying that the professor hurled casteist slurs at the student over the last three months, according to news agency ANI.

A case was registered at Powai police station under section 108 (abetment of suicide) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita along with relevant provisions of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on the complaint of his parents, the official said.

The Mumbai Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming IIT Bombay professor and exam invigilator Suryanarayan Dulla.

The Mumbai Police has officially transferred the case of the alleged suicide of a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch.

Wakode's death is the third reported case of suicide at the IIT Bombay campus in Powai in seven months.

In February, a second-year student died by suicide in a hostel. In July 2026, at the beginning of the new semester, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student had also ended his life.

Solidarity with Professor Suryanarayana Doolla

In a show of solidarity, a social media user, Ananthan Ayyasamy, posted that he "strongly opposes the charges against Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla of IIT Bombay under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act."

He opposed the "misuse" of the Act.

He said he belongs to the Devendra Kula Vellalar (DKV) community, classified as SC. "I grew up in deep rural poverty and witnessed the suffering of my people first-hand. I was educated thanks to broad-minded people from many communities," he wrote on X.

Ayyasamy, who wrote 'BJP Tenkasi Dt President' in his bio on X, introduced himself, saying, "I studied Electronics at NIT Tiruchirappalli, worked at C-DOT Bengaluru, and then at Intel in India and the US, where I rose to Engineering Director and Senior Silicon Architect, responsible for high-speed interconnects vital to modern CPUs and GPUs. I hold multiple patents in this field."

"I share this to make clear that I know what it means to come from an SC community and rise through hard work and commitment. Our DKV community has taken a principled, voluntary stand not to file SC/ST cases against anyone. We have seen how cases under this Act are weaponised, and how that deepens enmity on the ground," Ayyasamy stated.

He added, "On that basis, I oppose the misuse of this Act in this case. The case against Prof. Doolla must be withdrawn. This matters for the future of SC/ST students and for our nation."

Earlier, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum expressed solidarity with exam invigilator Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, stating he was following institutional protocol after discovering that the student was in "unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone."

"We strongly express our solidarity with our colleague Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was discharging his duties in line with the institute’s Senate-approved academic policies currently in force," the forum said in the statement, while offering deepest condolences to the family of the student.

The forum said Prof Doolla, the course instructor, 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, which it termed "academic malpractice."

The forum said, "As part of the institute-approved procedure, he reported the incident to institute authorities for further action in the matter. The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay is absolutely distressed with the tarnishing of the reputation of our colleague Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, who was merely discharging his academic duties, and following the institute-approved procedures."

The institute had earlier said that the instructor and the Head of the Department counselled the student and assured him the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. "The student subsequently returned to his hostel room. Later in the evening, he was found dead in his room. He then returned to his hostel room, where he was found dead in the evening," the institute said.

"IIT Bombay is deeply saddened by the loss of a student. The Institute is extending support to the student's friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident," it said, adding that the circumstances are being looked into by the appropriate authorities.

Earlier, students at IIT Bombay held a late-night protest following the death of the second-year student. Students demanded accountability and transparency from the institute's administration.

Police had deployed personnel on campus to control the situation as discussions were held between students and the administration.