IIT Bombay students demand external panel to probe Sahil Wakode's death

Students of IIT Bombay held a candlelight march on Friday night, a week after Sahil Wakode's alleged suicide, demanding that the enquiry committee probing his death be reconstituted. They alleged that some members of the existing panel had expressed support for Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in the police FIR.

The institute's board had earlier this week set up a 10-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding Wakode's alleged suicide. Doolla, a faculty member accused in the FIR of caste discrimination and abetment to suicide, has already been sent on leave to allow an impartial probe.advertisement❮❯ Read Full StoryWHAT DO STUDENTS WANT FROM THE NEW PANEL?The march was taken out from the Justice Corner at the main gate to Hostel 4 to mark one week since Wakode's death in his hostel room on September 18. The protesting students said the committee should be reconstituted and should have no current IIT Bombay employees or students as members.

They also demanded that at least two of the following four personalities be included in the new panel: former Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar, journalist P Sainath, activist Ram Puniyani and academic Sukhadeo Thorat.

The students further said Prof Doolla should be relieved of all his responsibilities until the criminal investigation is completed, and also sought the resignation of IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare.

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is probing the alleged abetment to suicide case. Wakode, 22, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after he was caught allegedly using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

The protest marked one week since Wakode's death, with students pressing for a fresh enquiry panel, action against Prof Doolla, and a wider probe into the circumstances of the case.