Mumbai, Sept. 21 -- IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare held a late-night meeting with protesting students and signed an 18-point charter of demands following the death by suicide of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode.
The meeting, which lasted nearly three hours, was held at the institute's main gate on Sunday night as students continued their protest over Wakode's death and raised concerns about student welfare, academic pressure, institutional accountability and alleged caste discrimination. The students' demands include an independent investigation into Wakode's death, with an interim report sought by September 30 and a final report by October 15. They have also called for student representation in institutional decision-making and an open house involving senior institute officials.
Another major demand concerns Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination in which Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone. Students have sought his suspension, while the administration has maintained that due process will be followed before any action is taken. Wakode, a second-year student of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a phone during a mid-semester examination. The institute said he had uploaded the examination paper to an AI platform to seek answers and that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. His family, however, has alleged that he faced harassment and caste-based discrimination. An FIR has been registered on their complaint, including provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and the investigation has been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.
The 18-point charter goes beyond the immediate circumstances surrounding Wakode's death. Students have sought stronger mental-health services, including better counselling facilities and a 24-hour psychiatrist-on-call service at the institute hospital. They have also demanded mental-health sensitisation for faculty and staff, a code of conduct for professors, changes to the disciplinary process and greater student participation in academic and administrative committees.
The students have proposed a task force comprising students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts to examine student distress and recommend measures to prevent further deaths on campus. They have also sought assurances that students participating peacefully in the protests will not face disciplinary action. The charter includes a demand that the institute director resign if the proposed reforms are not implemented within a month. However, the signing of the charter does not mean that every demand has already been implemented. The administration has indicated that several matters will be subject to due process and further discussions. Meanwhile, the institute's Faculty Forum has backed Professor Doolla, saying he was carrying out his responsibilities as an examination invigilator in accordance with the institute's approved procedures. The forum has also expressed concern over allegations against the professor following Wakode's death.
The institute's Board of Governors is expected to consider the students' demands, while further discussions with students are also likely. The protests have brought renewed attention to mental health, academic pressure, student grievances and institutional accountability at the campus.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.