Mumbai: IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedar has said he will hand in his resignation to the institute’s Board on Monday (September 21), following the suicide of second-year BTech student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, 22, and days of campus protests over alleged caste discrimination.
Kedar made the announcement during a meeting with agitating students late on Sunday night, saying: “I am submitting my resignation to the Board on 21 Sept, because I don’t want students like you to get involved in unnecessary protests instead of focusing on studies and your future.”
He added: “We were only doing our job. We thought stopping students from cheating was our responsibility. But if you think it was wrong and want my resignation, I’m ready to give it.”
By Monday morning, the institute had not released a formal resignation letter or press statement, though. The director’s decision has so far emerged through the student meeting and viral videos.
Death After Exam Incident
Wakode, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering and a resident of Yavatmal, Maharashtra, was found dead in his room in Hostel Number 4 on the Powai campus on Friday, September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester exam.
IIT Bombay said the student had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT during the test to seek answers. The institute maintained that no disciplinary action was taken; instead, the instructor and the Head of the Department counselled him and assured him the incident would not harm his academic prospects.
No suicide note was found, police said. An accidental death report was initially filed, and the body was sent for post-mortem.
Protests, 18 Demands And Standoff
Students protested on campus for three days, pressing for accountability and systemic reform. On Sunday night, the administration discussed their 18-point charter, which includes: Student representation in academic committees, an independent probe into four suicide cases on campus; mental health workshops for faculty; measures against alleged casteist harassment.
Kedar signed the demands sheet. A formal announcement was expected on Monday.
Despite the meeting, protesters said they would assemble at the IIT Bombay main gate under the banner ‘India Against Casteism’, invoking past campus suicides allegedly tied to casteism. “We are not here to die,” became a key slogan, as reported by NDTV.
Faculty Backs Invigilator; FIR Filed
The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum backed invigilator Suryanarayana Doolla, saying he followed protocol after finding the student with an unauthorised phone, and expressed concern over attacks on him.
The family, however, alleges caste-based harassment. On Sunday, Mumbai Police registered an FIR for abetment of suicide and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Doolla and two others. The probe has been handed to the Crime Branch.