IIT Bombay Professor Made 'Casteist Slurs': Father Of Student Who Killed Self

In IIT Bombay student's death, a case of abetment to suicide has been registered against Professor Suryanarayan Dulla. Two other accused have been left unidentified in the First Information Report (FIR). The investigation has been transferred to Crime Branch, Mumbai Police sources said.

The father of Sahil Wakode, second year IIT Bombay student who died by suicide hours after being caught using ChatGPT during an examination, has alleged caste-based abuse, threats and harassment over three months allegedly at the direction of Director Shireesh B Kedare.

Earlier Sahil's mother had also alleged that her son was harassed. "My son has been killed. He was severely harassed. I want justice," she said.

What FIR States

Ravindra Chakradhar Wankhade, father of 20-yer-old Sahil, has registered a formal complaint in the death by suicide of his son. According to the complaint, Sahil studied in Yavatmal till class 12 before he got admission to IIT Bombay and moved to a hostel.

The first year of college went smoothly. The second year is when the problems began for Sahil.

Wankhade alleged that Sahil was subjected to severe mental harassment and casteist slurs over the past three months. 

The complaint explicitly names Professor Suryanarayan Dulla, who was also an invigilator at the exam Sahil was caught cheating, for hurling caste-based abuses at Sahil, on the behest of Director Shireesh B Kedare.

According to the father, Sahil revealed that Teacher Dulla threatened him by saying that because he belonged to a "lower caste," he could easily implicate him in a false case.  

IIT Bombay Suicide Case

Sahil Wakode was an MSc second-year student of the IIT's Department of Energy Science and Engineering. He was found dead in his hostel room on the institute's Powai campus on Friday evening.

According to IIT Bombay, Sahil was found using a mobile phone in the examination hall earlier that day and had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. However, no disciplinary action was taken against him. He was instead counselled and assured of no harm to his career, the institute said in a statement.

"No disciplinary action was initiated against the student. The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career," the institute claimed in a statement. It said Wakode then returned to his hostel room, and "later in the evening, he was found dead in his room".

"The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities," the statement further said.