IIT Bombay has apologised for disclosing details about BTech student Sahil Wakode’s alleged use of artificial intelligence before an investigation into his death by suicide had begun, while suspending its dean of administrative affairs and denying reports that the institute’s director has resigned.
The institute said Prof Suryanarayana Doolla had been suspended from the post with immediate effect. He will continue as a professor and as head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. IIT Bombay said any further action against him would follow an investigation.
The administration also clarified that director Shireesh B Kedare remains in office. “Director IIT Bombay has NOT resigned. We categorically state that the related news is false,” the institute said in a communication to campus residents.
The developments followed protests on campus over the death of Wakode. During a late-night meeting on Sunday, students raised demands concerning the institute’s earlier communication and accountability within the administration. The administration discussed and signed an 18-point charter submitted by the protesting students.
Students had accused the institute of defaming Wakode by releasing details about the circumstances preceding his death without a proper inquiry. In its subsequent communication, IIT Bombay apologised for statements made in its earlier account of the incident.
“We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil,” the institute said. It added that the details and circumstances leading to the incident remained subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities.
The institute acknowledged that, because an investigation was ongoing, it had been inappropriate to set out or characterise details relating to the events preceding Wakode’s death before those details had been established through the appropriate investigative process.
The episode has placed the handling of sensitive student-death information and administrative accountability at the centre of the campus response. IIT Bombay’s latest communication addresses the immediate questions over the director’s position and the dean’s administrative role, while the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death remains ongoing.
Doolla will continue in his academic positions during the investigation. The institute has not specified a timeline for the inquiry or outlined further action beyond stating that any decision would be taken after the investigation.
