Stories
IIT Bombay Professor's Old Email on Caste Surfaces Amid Suicide Row
- •A July 2024 email from IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, then Dean of Student Affairs, has surfaced during the investigation into student Sahil Wakode's death.
- •The email urged students and staff to avoid questions revealing a fellow student's caste or social background, citing potential for conscious or subconscious bias.
- •Prof. Doolla cautioned against asking about birth/admission category, JEE (Advanced) ranks, or GATE scores, emphasizing the institute's commitment to an inclusive campus.
- •The advisory stated that IIT Bombay implements reservation policy "in letter and in spirit" and aims to provide equal opportunities, discouraging discrimination from any community member.
- •Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student, died by suicide on September 18, with his family alleging caste-based discrimination; the email's surfacing is part of the ongoing investigation.
Key Questions Answered
In July 2024, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla issued an advisory urging students and the campus community to avoid asking peers about their birth category, admission details, JEE ranks, GATE scores, or other information that could reveal caste.
Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student, died by suicide in his hostel room on September 18. Hours before his death, he was caught using a smartphone without authorization during a mid-semester exam to upload a question paper onto ChatGPT.
Sahil Wakode's family alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination, harassment, and humiliation at the institute. His father filed a complaint alleging that Professor Doolla subjected Sahil to caste-based slurs and threatened to frame him in a false case, leading to an FIR under the SC/ST Act.
