IIT Bombay student suicide: Welfare reforms, mental health focus sought; security beefed up - top developments

MUMBAI: Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay have demanded changes to the institute’s student welfare system and greater focus on mental health, following concerns raised in the wake of the Sahil Wakode suicide case.Security was beefed up outside the IIT-Bombay campus on Tuesday.They also said that targeting one professor over the case was "completely wrong".Wakode, 22, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room at IIT Bombay’s Powai campus on the evening of September 18.He was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination earlier that day.The incident triggered protests by students on the campus.The Mumbai Police have booked Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been removed as the dean of Administrative Affairs, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following a complaint lodged by Sahil's family."Even if students differ on the issue, we all agree on one thing: changes need to be brought in student welfare, including the wellness cell, psychiatrist support, and similar areas. Students' voices should be heard when decisions are made," a student told news agency PTI on Monday."But, I think students disagree on the treatment of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla. The caste angle portrayed in the media is wrong and does not exist," he asserted.The student said Prof Doolla’s removal as Dean (Administrative Affairs) was “completely wrong”, asserting that he was only doing his job.Another student told the media that reports of caste discrimination were incorrect."There is no discrimination on the basis of caste in the institute. Therefore, the media reports on caste bias in IIT Bombay are completely wrong," he said.Another student said stress might have led Sahil Wakode to take the extreme step."I feel stress must be the reason; otherwise there is no such other reason that could have led Wakode to take such a step. But stress is there because the courses are difficult. I feel that is a part of engineering, and that is how you learn," he said.However, some students also alleged that Prof Doolla had a track record of suspending students over what they described as trivial reasons and removing them from hostels.Measures taken during Prof Doolla's tenure as Dean of Students Affairs had created a sense of fear, they claimed, adding that his past record made them believe he could have ordered suspension if they had spoken of it following the incident.IIT Bombay on Monday removed Prof Doolla as Dean (Administrative Affairs) following protests by students and political activists over Sahil Wakode’s suicide. Doolla, however, continues to serve as a faculty member.The institute also issued a public apology for its earlier communication, which characterised the events leading up to the student’s death before a detailed inquiry had been completed."In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding Sahil's demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process," it said in a statement, retracting its earlier assertion that Sahil was caught cheating but faced no disciplinary action.However, student groups expressed dissatisfaction with the move, demanding his suspension as a faculty member.On Monday evening, faculty members held a march on the IIT Bombay campus in support of Doolla. The Faculty Forum said Doolla had followed the “Senate-approved exam procedure” when he reported Sahil for allegedly using a phone during the September 18 examination.Sahil’s father, Ravindra Wakode, however, alleged that his son was mocked, tortured and discriminated against on caste lines. He also demanded a probe into the role of the IIT Bombay administration in his son’s death.(With agency inputs)You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in MumbaiStay updated with the latest Mumbai news. Download the TOI App.