Prof Suryanarayana Doolla questioned after student suicide over caste claims
An IIT Bombay professor, Suryanarayana Doolla, was questioned by Mumbai police for eight hours after 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode died by suicide in his hostel room.
Sahil's death came soon after he was caught using his phone during an exam.
His family says Prof. Doolla discriminated against him because of his caste, which has sparked a police investigation.
Police register abetment case, Doolla removed
Prof. Doolla has denied any caste bias and said he always followed institute rules. After the incident, he was removed from his dean's post and put on leave.
Police registered a case of abetment to suicide based on Sahil's father's complaint, and CCTV showed the professor pulling aside Sahil after catching him using a mobile phone during an exam.
The institute said Sahil had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers.
Some faculty have backed Prof. Doolla, saying reporting cheating is part of his job, while Sahil's father, Ravindra Wakode, alleged discrimination by Prof. Doolla and demanded his arrest.