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How an examination cheating case led to Caste discrimination allegations against an IIT Bombay professor: Read the detailed timeline of the Sahil Wakode suicide case

From initial reports of suicide over being caught cheating in exam, the Sahil Wakode death case, has taken a caste discrimination turn, with the IIT Bombay professor who caught Sahil, being booked under the SC/ST Act.

OpIndia Staff
The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the case, while Sahil’s parents have caste-based harassment.
IIT Bombay has suspended Professor Suryanarayana Doolla (Image via NDTV and X)

In a major development in the Sahil Wakode suicide case at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, the institute administration on Monday, 21st September, suspended the deanship of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla with immediate effect. IIT Bombay Director Shirish B. Kedare confirmed the decision, stating that any further action against the faculty member will be taken following a thorough investigation into the matter.

Also, the probe into the suicide of Sahil Wakode, a second-year B.Tech student, has been officially handed over to the Mumbai Crime Branch. Investigating officers are currently examining Sahil’s mobile phone to check for any suicide notes or crucial digital evidence. 

What initially appeared to be a case of a student taking his own life after being caught cheating during his mid-semester examinations has now turned into a wider controversy involving allegations of caste-based harassment. The victim’s parents have publicly alleged that their son faced continuous caste-based harassment on campus. Following these allegations, the family is also seeking formal compensation under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. 

With the Crime Branch now investigating the case and IIT Bombay itself withdrawing some of its earlier statements, the exact circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death are still under investigation.

18th September: Sahil committed suicide after being caught using ChatGPT on his phone to solve a question paper

The tragic series of events began on Friday, 18th September 2026, when Sahil Wakode, a second-year B.Tech student from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide. The incident happened just hours after he was caught using unfair means during an ongoing examination.

According to fellow students, Sahil was caught peeking at another student’s answer sheet during the test. Shortly after this, he was asked to leave the examination hall by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was conducting invigilation duty. Students alleged that institute officials later informed Sahil that he would face strict disciplinary action, including possible suspension. 

However, the IIT Bombay administration quickly disputed this account of events and issued an official statement to clarify what happened. Sahil was found using a smartphone during the exam. The administration stated that he had uploaded the question paper onto ChatGPT to get answers during the test.

They firmly denied that any disciplinary action had been initiated against him at that point. Instead, the administration explained that the course instructor and the Head of the Department had counselled Sahil, reassuring him that no action would be taken that would adversely affect his overall academic career. 

Following this meeting, Sahil returned to his hostel room, where he was found dead later in the evening. Expressing grief, the institute issued a statement saying, “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.”

19th September: Parents allege caste harassment and seek compensation

By Saturday, 19th September, news of Sahil’s death had spread across the campus, triggering widespread student protests. Students began openly questioning how the administration handled the situation and raised serious concerns about the general treatment of students going through academic or personal stress.

While the management kept insisting that no disciplinary proceedings were started against Sahil, protesting students maintained that he was threatened with suspension right after the exam.

By Saturday morning, Sahil’s parents also arrived at the main gate of the institute, demanding justice for their late son. In a video released by the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), a student collective active on campus, Sahil’s parents directly blamed the institute management for the death.

Refusing to accept that their son would end his life over an exam incident, his father stated, “This is a case of caste discrimination. We took efforts to put our son in this institute, which has failed us. It is because of their torture that we have lost our only child. We demand justice. We will raise our complaint to the national capital.”

As night fell on Saturday, the campus protests grew even more intense. Demanding immediate accountability, students called for the resignation of IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare and Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla. To address the rising anger, Director Kedare convened an impromptu open-house meeting late Saturday night at the institute’s Convocation Hall.

During this meeting, students voiced deep-seated grievances that went far beyond the immediate circumstances of Sahil’s death, particularly pointing out the complete lack of adequate student representation on decision-making committees that shape campus life.

Later that day, based on the formal complaint submitted by Sahil’s father, the Mumbai Police booked Professor Doolla and others. The complaint included charges of abetment of suicide alongside severe sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Sahil’s parents claimed that he had previously shared details about experiencing discrimination and hardships on campus. 

In his police statement, Ravindra Wakode, the father of deceased Sahil Wakode alleged that Professor Doolla had been targeting his son with casteist slurs for three months on the direct instructions of Director Shireesh Kedare.

Sahil’s father stated in his complaint, “He had come to the college on his own merit, and everything went fine in the First Year. Things changed in the Second Year when the Director, Shireesh B Kedare, instructed faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla to do caste-based discrimination… Doolla was passing casteist remarks for the past three months and had threatened to implicate him in a wrong manner before the incident took place.”

On the same day, Legal representative Advocate Nikhil Kamble, speaking on behalf of the family’s legal demands, stated, “Our main demands include the appointment of a Crime Branch team, allowing the victim’s father and five to seven representatives to monitor the investigation, and having the entire investigation supervised by the Joint Commissioner. In case the accused seek anticipatory bail, a Special Public Prosecutor will be appointed to represent the state. Three lawyers suggested by the victim’s father will oppose the bail plea in the High Court. In addition, compensation under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be provided at the earliest…”

20th September: IIT-B denies caste allegations and signed 18-point charter

On Sunday, 20th September, the allegations of caste discrimination gained massive public attention. However, Director Kedare strongly refuted all such claims, assuring that the campus maintains a fair environment. He stated, “And there is absolutely none in this case.

In fact, caste-based information of every student is completely hidden and not available for anybody’s information.” The institute’s SC/ST Students and Staff Cell also issued a statement clarifying that Sahil had never filed any prior formal complaint regarding caste bias with them or the main administration.

Meanwhile, Sahil’s parents initially refused to claim his body for the final rites until concrete official action was taken. They eventually agreed to accept the body only after Mumbai’s Joint Commissioner of Police (Law and Order), Manoj Kumar Sharma, personally informed them that the case was being officially transferred to the Crime Branch.

As soon as an alleged ‘caste discrimination’ claim emerged in the suicide of the IIT Bombay student, the political-ideological machinery that thrives on caste politics swung into action. Several Ambedkarites and online commentators claimed that General category students and faculty regularly abuse ‘marginalised students’ on premier campuses, driving them to suicide.  

Many Ambedkarite groups also used the momentum around Sahil’s case to demand the immediate and strict implementation of the University Grants Commission’s (UGC) guidelines regarding equity in higher education institutions.

Amid the mounting criticism, the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay came forward to defend their colleague. In an official press release issued on Sunday, 20th September, signed by President Professor Rajkumar S. Pant, the forum extended condolences to Sahil’s family while firmly standing by Professor Doolla.

They stated, “The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay mourns the loss of life of a student of our institute, and offers deepest condolences to his family. 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 policy currently in force.”

Despite the faculty’s defence, student protests outside the main gate reached a critical point on Sunday night. To break the deadlock after three days of continuous sit-ins, the IIT Bombay administration held a detailed meeting with the protesting students. Director Shireesh Kedare eventually signed and accepted an 18-point charter of demands presented by the students.

This comprehensive 18-point charter of demands included:

  • Action against stakeholders: Demanding the immediate suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and the removal of any other official found guilty after a fair probe.
  • Public apology: Demanding an official public apology from IIT Bombay for publishing what students described as defamatory and selective details about Sahil in an earlier LinkedIn post.
  • Open House: Requiring an Open House session before 22nd September, featuring the Director, Deans, and key administrators to directly address student queries.
  • Accountability of officials: Demanding that the Director, Dean of Academic Programmes (AP), and Dean of Student Affairs (SA) resign if the agreed demands are not implemented within a month, backed by weekly progress updates.
  • Independent probe: Setting up an independent committee to investigate Sahil’s death and the subsequent hospital response, demanding an interim report by September 30 and final public findings by October 15.
  • Financial support: Demanding fair and immediate monetary compensation alongside continuous institutional support for the families of four students lost in recent times.
  • Student representation: Ensuring equal representation and voting power for students on crucial academic and non-academic committees without administrative veto power.
  • Review of decisions: Reviewing all unilateral administrative decisions that impact campus culture without prior student consultation.
  • Professor code of conduct: Forming a dedicated committee to establish clear rules, complaint mechanisms, and strict timelines for grievances against faculty members.
  • Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) cases: Mandatory inclusion of student mentors, companions, and buddies, along with complete documentation whenever a student faces malpractice charges.
  • Counselling services: Ensuring a ratio of one counsellor for every 250 students, placing at least one counsellor per hostel, and conducting regular audits of the Student Wellness Centre.
  • 24/7 mental health support: Setting up round-the-clock on-call psychiatrists, qualified emergency doctors for night shifts, mandatory mental health training for staff, and an active feedback system.
  • Faculty sensitisation: Making mental health sensitisation workshops mandatory every two months, including special training during the onboarding of new professors and staff.
  • Accessibility of Dean SA: Requiring the Dean SA office to dedicate at least 20 hours a week for direct student interactions, with mandatory written responses provided within 18 hours.
  • Hostel wing support: Allotting adjacent rooms to second- and third-year students to help maintain their existing peer support networks.
  • Student concerns portal: Setting up an institute-wide transparent portal where student grievances and official administrative actions are published publicly.
  • Student well-being task force: Establishing a permanent task force comprising students, faculty, and experts to study student distress and release semester reports.
  • Protection of protesters: Securing a written guarantee that no disciplinary, legal, hostel-related, or financial retaliation will be taken against any student involved in the peaceful protests.

21st September: IIT Bombay suspends Professor Doolla and apologises for earlier statement

On Monday, 21st September, following intense pressure from the ongoing campus protests, the IIT Bombay administration took its first major step. Director Shireesh Kedare sent an official email to all students announcing the immediate suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from his administrative role.

The email officially stated, “The Deanship of Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla is suspended with immediate effect. Any further action will be taken after investigation.”

Professor Doolla, who previously served as the Dean of Student Affairs, was holding the position of Dean of Administrative Affairs at the time of the incident. While the protesting students had explicitly demanded his complete suspension as a professor, the institute restricted the current action to removing him from his deanship position pending further legal and internal outcomes.

Alongside this action, the IIT Bombay administration issued a formal apology regarding its earlier public statements about the case. Stepping back from its initial comments regarding Sahil’s use of cheating during the exam, the management admitted that sharing such unverified details before a full investigation was wrong.

In its official statement, the institute noted, “We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil. The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process.”

Furthermore, amidst widespread rumours circulating online regarding campus leadership, IIT Bombay clarified that Director Shireesh Kedare had not resigned from his position.

The institute reiterated its commitment to fully cooperating with the Crime Branch officers as the investigation into Sahil Wakode’s death continues. Meanwhile, a section of social media, as well as IIT Bombay students and alumni, have come out in support of Professor Doolla, contending that he should not be punished for stopping a student from cheating in an exam under the guise of the alleged false caste discrimination allegations.

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OpIndia Staff
OpIndia Staffhttps://www.opindia.com
Staff reporter at OpIndia

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