IIT Bombay student wrote ‘apology letter’ after leaving exam hall; rules don’t mention one

Sahil Wakode, an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student who died by suicide on September 18, wrote an ‘apology letter’ after he was asked to leave the examination hall and taken to superiors over alleged exam malpractice, sources said. However, IIT Bombay’s formal rules for students caught ‘copying’ do not mention any provision for an ‘apology letter’.

In fact, IIT Bombay’s laid-down procedure requires a Disciplinary Action Committee to examine such cases and assess the evidence. If the evidence does not hold the student responsible for the alleged misconduct, “the benefit goes to the student,” it states. Nowhere does it mention the requirement of an apology letter from the students.

A source said, “It has come to light that the student was asked to leave the exam hall by the invigilator, Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, at around 12:38 pm. He was then taken to the superiors, where he signed a written apology letter for copying in the exam, after which he reached his room around 1.25 pm, as per CCTV footage.”

He never came out of his hostel room. He had taken his own life.

What do IIT Bombay’s rules say?

IIT Bombay’s procedures for handling acts of academic malpractice by students, dated April 2015, state that when an invigilator discovers an act of indiscipline by a student during an exam, “the invigilator should confiscate relevant material like chits, phones, answer papers, etc.

“A fresh answer book should be issued to the student, and the student should be allowed to resume writing the exam,” states the procedure.

Then, a detailed note has to be prepared and submitted to the Head of the Department (HOD) conducting the course, it says. The HOD then refers the case to the Departmental Academic Disciplinary Action Committee (D-ADAC).

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“The main role of the D-ADAC is in sifting through the evidence and establishing the type of malpractice, if any. The final recommendation should be unambiguous,” states the procedure. Members who disagree with the report may add a dissenting note.

“In case the evidence is not clear, the benefit of the doubt goes to the student. The recommendation is forwarded via the Head to the Dean (Academic Programme) for approval and implementation.”

Students who have since protested on the campus have complained that the procedure was not followed in Sahil Wakode’s case.

IIT Bombay students protested demanding justice for Sahil Wakode (Express photo)

And since the central administration of IIT Bombay does not strictly monitor the implementation of the rules, the process for handling such cases can allegedly vary across departments. This has led to growing demands for a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to deal with cases of academic malpractice, particularly in examinations. The exams were postponed after Sahil Wakode’s suicide, and the remaining mid-semester papers shall be held after the SOPs are ready.

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Meanwhile, protesting students have asked why Sahil Wakode was not given another answer sheet as per the rules, but was escorted out of the classroom instead.

The Indian Express reached out to IIT Bombay, seeking answers on Wakode’s apology letter. There was no response.

An officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by the Mumbai Police to probe Sahil Wakode’s suicide, said that they have written to the institute asking them to hand over all documents linked to the case.

An officer said, “Our probe focused on establishing if the professor did something that pushed Wakode to commit suicide and if he faced any discrimination due to his caste. While we will look at procedures that were followed in this case, usually procedural lapses are dealt with at the institute level.”

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What has crime branch found so far?

During the investigation into the IIT Bombay suicide case, the crime branch found that Sahil spoke with a friend an hour after he returned to his hostel room. It was around 1:25 pm.

During their call, Wakode expressed regret and told the friend he did not score well in the earlier paper and was “copying” to make up for the marks, her statement read, according to the police.

She called others staying closer to his hostel room after he did not answer her repeated calls, the statement said.

The police have so far recorded statements of Sahil Wakode’s parents, students in the class and those known to him. They have also collected CCTV footage from the examination hall and the lobby.

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“We will soon be recording the statement of Doolla after speaking to others,” a source said.

Powai Police had registered an FIR against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla on charges of abetment to suicide and sections of the SC/ST Act. The probe was later transferred to the crime branch.