Mumbai, Maharashtra
In the suicide case of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch questioned Professor Suryanarayan Doola for approximately eight hours. Police are examining all aspects of the case as part of the ongoing investigation.
Twenty-two-year-old Sahil Wakode was a second-year BTech student at IIT Bombay. He was found hanging in his hostel room on the Powai-based IIT campus on September 18. A few hours before the incident, Sahil had reportedly been caught using a mobile phone inside an examination hall.
Sahil’s parents had accused Professor Suryanarayan Doola of discriminating against their son on the basis of his caste. They had also demanded the professor’s arrest. The student’s father, Ravindra Wakode, claimed that his son had told him about the alleged discrimination by the professor.
During questioning, Professor Doola denied the allegations. He told police that he had acted in accordance with the institute’s rules and had not used any caste-related slurs or abusive language against the student.
Following the professor’s statement, the Crime Branch is examining the available evidence and statements from other individuals to verify his claims.
After Professor Doola’s name emerged in the case, he was removed from his position as Dean of Student Welfare and sent on leave.
IIT Bombay had expressed grief over the student’s death and stated that Sahil had uploaded the examination paper to ChatGPT to obtain answers to the questions. The institute said that no disciplinary action had been taken against him in connection with the incident.
Mumbai Police have registered a case of abetment of suicide based on a complaint filed by the student’s parents.
