IIT Bombay protest: Institute removes Prof Doolla as dean, apologises over earlier communication on student's death

The standoff at IIT Bombay eased on Monday after the institute removed Prof Suryanarayana Doolla from his deanship apologised for its earlier communication on student Sahil Wakodersquos death and held an open town hall with protesting studentsDirector Prof Shireesh Kedare addressed students on Monday evening and answered their questions The developments came after three days of protests following Wakodersquos death on FridayldquoIdeally our lectures will now resume tomorrow Tuesday and the protests have easedrdquo a campus resident told midday Students reported that the officials responded positively to asks around student wellnessFaculty backs DoollaFaculty members and some students demonstrated in support of Prof Doolla and attended the town hall with banners backing him ldquoThe major argument was that anyone can threaten to file a complaint against a professor and they wonrsquot be able to do their job properly Students cannot hold an institution ransomrdquo said a campus resident The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum said Doolla had only been relieved of his deanship and continued as faculty adding that he had won two teaching awards based on student feedbackldquoContrary to several media reports Prof Suryanarayana Doolla has not been suspended from his service and continues to be a member of the facultyrdquo it said However there was no consensus among faculty Prof Suryakant Waghmore posted ldquoFaculty forum is not a legal body They are building pressure on investigation committee Not all faculty identify with this grouprdquoMonday in three movesDoolla removed as deanIIT Bombay informed students on Monday morning that Prof Suryanarayana Doolla had been removed from his post as Dean of Administrative Affairs pending further investigation Doolla continues as a professor at the institute He had previously also served as Dean of Student Affairs The move addressed one of the 18 demands raisedIITBombay apologisesThe institute issued an apology on its official X account over its earlier communication about Wakodersquos death ldquoThe details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities In view of the ongoing investigation it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative processrdquo the institute saidTown hall with studentsStudents and the administration met at the convocation hall on Monday evening for an open town hall Director Shireesh Kedare answered questions from students as campus weighed next stepsWhat the family allegedWakodersquos father Ravindra Wakode approached the police alleging harassment and castebased discrimination and seeking action against those responsible for his sonrsquos death An FIR was registered naming Prof Suryanarayana Doolla and others It includes allegations of abetment to suicide and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act The case has since been transferred to the Mumbai Crime BranchCase at the centre of the protestSahil Wakode a secondyear BTech student was found dead in his hostel room on Friday September 18 IIT Bombayrsquos initial statement said Wakode had been found using a mobile phone during a midsemester examination and had allegedly uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him and that he was counselled The institute has since apologised for characterising details surrounding the incident before they were established through an investigation