Parents of IIT Bombay student demand professor’s arrest during Mumbai protest
The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode staged a hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, calling for the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. Police registered a case naming the professor after Wakode’s death, while the allegations of abetment and caste-based offences remain under investigation.
The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode staged a hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Monday, demanding the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was named in a police case linked to their son’s death. Ravindra and Sonali Wakode began the protest at 10 a.m. on September 28 and continued until about 6.30 p.m., according to The Hindu.
They sought permission to resume the agitation the following day. In an application submitted to the Azad Maidan police, the family’s lawyer, Nikhil Kamble, requested permission for Ravindra Wakode to continue protesting. The application called for justice for Sahil and Doolla’s arrest.
The family also questioned an internal inquiry set up by IIT Bombay, alleging that none of the committee members had contacted them. The institute formed a 10-member panel to examine the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death and later extended its original one-week deadline by another week. Some students have also objected to the committee’s composition and called for it to be reconstituted.
Sahil, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide in his hostel room on September 18. The death occurred hours after he was allegedly found with a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. Doolla was the course instructor and was invigilating the examination.
Sahil’s parents subsequently alleged that he had experienced caste-based discrimination and harassment at the institute. Police registered an FIR against Doolla containing allegations of abetment to suicide and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The allegations remain under investigation.
IIT Bombay has relieved Doolla of administrative duties and placed him on leave pending the inquiries. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is recording statements and examining CCTV footage and other digital evidence. The Wakodes had staged an earlier hunger strike after being prevented from protesting outside the IIT Bombay campus.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.