JNU students protest over IIT student's death

New Delhi, Sept. 23 -- The death of Sahil Wakode, a Dalit student at IIT Bombay, has triggered protests and renewed questions over institutional accountability, student welfare and caste discrimination on campuses.

Students at IIT Bombay have been protesting under the banner "Justice4Sahil", with demands including an independent investigation, accountability of the institute administration and action against Professor Sooryanarayana Doolla. Sahil's mother, Sonali Wakode, has alleged that the professor made casteist remarks towards her son, while his classmates and friends have also raised allegations of harassment. The allegations are yet to be established through an independent investigation.

The JNUSU, in a statement, described Sahil's death as an "institutional murder" and said IIT Bombay had witnessed four student deaths in nine months. It has also criticised what it described as the administration's defence of the professor and called for a fair investigation. The IITB Faculty Forum has maintained that Professor Doolla discharged his duties in accordance with the institute's Senate-approved academic policies.

The issue has resonated beyond IIT Bombay. At IIT Delhi, the death of 31-year-old MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar on August 22 had similarly raised concerns over student well-being. His mother, Asha Poddar, declined compensation and sought better mental-health support and accommodation for students.

At JNU, the JNUSU has organised a protest gathering at Sabarmati Dhaba on Wednesday at 5 p.m. in solidarity with the protesting IIT Bombay students. Its demands include student representation in academic committees, a task force to address student suicides, mental-health sensitisation for faculty, strengthening of student wellness centres and an anonymous grievance mechanism. For students, the protests are also about whether institutions provide avenues to raise concerns safely and whether those concerns are heard before a crisis becomes irreversible.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.