IIT Bombay Director signs 18-point charter of demands after suicide of student who was caught cheating: Read details

Director Prof Shireesh Kedare (Image via X)

The standoff at IIT-Bombay took a new turn on Sunday night, 20th September, after Director Prof Shireesh Kedare signed an 18-point charter submitted by students. The agreement came after a nearly three-hour meeting at the institute’s main gate over the death by suicide of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode.

Students recorded the meeting live. While the protesters said the administration had accepted their demands, an institute official said discussions would continue and that due process would be followed. The institute’s Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Monday, 21st September, while an open house with students is also expected.

The demands mainly focus on accountability, student representation, mental-health support and changes in the way disciplinary cases are handled.

The 18 demands raised by students

  • Action against stakeholders: Immediate suspension of Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla and removal of anyone found responsible after the investigation.
  • Public apology: An apology from IIT Bombay over details about Sahil Wakode that students said were defamatory and shared through an institute LinkedIn post.
  • Open house: A meeting with the Director, Dean SA, Dean AP and Sahil’s department HOD before 22nd September so students can raise their concerns.
  • Accountability: The Director, Dean AP and Dean SA should resign if demands 5 to 14 are not implemented within a month. Students also want weekly updates.
  • Independent investigation: A panel of professors, students, external members and student-recommended members should investigate Sahil’s death, including the emergency and hospital response. An interim report is sought by 30th September and final findings by 15th October.
  • Financial support: Prompt and fair financial assistance for four families who recently lost loved ones at IIT Bombay, along with continued institutional support.
  • Student representation: Equal student representation and voting rights in academic and non-academic committees dealing with student matters, without an administrative veto.
  • Review of decisions: Administrative decisions affecting student culture without consultation should be reconsidered after taking students’ views.
  • Professor complaint system: A committee should create clear rules, timelines and an escalation process for complaints against professors.
  • DAC cases: Students facing malpractice proceedings should have their mentor, student companion and a student-selected buddy informed, with interactions properly documented.
  • Counselling services: At least one counsellor for every 250 students, one counsellor in every hostel and regular independent audits of the Student Wellness Centre.
  • 24/7 mental-health support: A round-the-clock psychiatrist, better-qualified emergency and night-shift doctors, mental-health training for hospital staff and a system to address student concerns about the hospital.
  • Mental-health training: Professors and staff who directly interact with students should attend sensitisation workshops every two months, with the training included in onboarding.
  • Dean SA accessibility: The Dean SA office should provide at least 20 hours a week for one-on-one student meetings, with written responses to concerns within 48 hours and weekly publication of available slots.
  • Hostel wing support: The administration should help hostel wings stay together and provide adjacent rooms in later years to maintain students’ support networks.
  • Student concerns portal: A transparent portal where students can raise institute-wide issues and view administrative responses.
  • Well-being task force: A permanent group of students, faculty, mental-health professionals and external experts should study student distress, suggest preventive steps and publish semester-wise reports.
  • Protection of protesters: Students want a written assurance that no disciplinary, hostel, financial, legal or indirect action will be taken against those taking part in the protest.

The charter asks IIT Bombay to give a written response within 24 hours and submit an implementation plan before 26th September. The protests began after Wakode’s death on 18th September.

Resignation videos circulate online

Meanwhile, videos claiming that Director Shireesh Kedare has resigned are circulating on social media. However, there has been no official confirmation of his resignation so far. The IIT-Bombay Board of Governors is also expected to meet, while the Mumbai Crime Branch continues its investigation into Sahil’s death.

Written by OpIndia Staff
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