Mumbai: Sahil Ravindra Wakode, the second-year student who died at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay never made any complaint to the SC/ST Cell at the college regarding alleged caste-based discrimination, Prof Dr Rajkumar S Pant, Faculty Forum president of the institute, said on Tuesday.
Sahil’s parents and fellow scholars have been claiming that the 22-year-old was a victim of caste-based discrimination and it prompted him to take his own life.
Prof Pant also backed Prof Suryanarayana Doolla and said he acted as per institutional rules after seeing the student use a mobile phone during an examination.
Doolla had only been relieved of his administrative duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs amid the ongoing investigation and continued to remain a teaching faculty member at IIT Bombay, Prof Pant told ANI.
“Professor Doolla is not suspended as a professor of IIT Bombay, and he is still a teaching faculty member in our institution,” he said.
The Faculty Forum would not comment in detail on the incident as the matter had already been reported and was under investigation, he said, but maintained that Doolla had followed the prescribed procedure when he saw Sahil allegedly using unfair means during the examination.
“Our only point is that we are teachers, and we are discharging our duties as mandated by the institute while following institute procedures. Professor Doolla did the same… He was the Dean of Student Affairs before taking up his current position as Dean of Academic Affairs. So, to expect that a person of his nature-who is known to be very helpful to students-would do this is unreasonable… There are some situations where one has to act firmly, and he acted firmly as per the rules. But I am personally convinced that he is not the kind of person who would indulge in these kinds of acts,” Prof Pant said.
He said that IIT Bombay has a functional SC/ST Cell for students from the concerned communities to raise complaints and grievances, but Sahil had not approached the cell with any allegation against any professor.
“Like every institute, we have a dedicated SC/ST cell for the welfare of students of that particular category… I spoke to the institute’s deputy director, Prof Ravindra Gudi, about it, and he confirmed to me that the SC/ST cell issued a notice-stating that there was absolutely no attempt by the late Sahil to approach the cell over the last three or four months. No complaint was recorded by him-forget about a formal complaint; he had not even approached the SC/ST cell for anything,” the forum president said.
He, however, said he had no first-hand information to confirm or deny allegations that Professor Doolla had made caste-based remarks against Sahil.
“There is no first-hand account of the incident where someone has seen or heard Professor Doolla using caste remarks against Sahil, so I cannot confirm or deny the allegation,” he said.
“I see no merit in this claim. Still, I do not want to comment further on what has been reported. There is an FIR, and the law will take its own course. I think the Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating, so we have nothing to comment on that matter. The norms of society and the institute are very clear that we cannot tolerate cheating. Now, if a faculty member sees someone misusing facilities and resorting to unfair means, taking no action would be unfair to the majority of students who do not cheat…,” Prof Pant said.
He stressed the need to look at the academic and emotional pressure faced by students, saying they were among the best students in the country and that institutions needed to consider ways to reduce pressure on them.
“These students are like our own children, and we understand that there is a tremendous pressure on them to perform better, especially from their parents,” he said.
Institutions should also examine how the pressure on students could be reduced while ensuring that they were supported during their academic journey, Prof Pant said.
Referring to the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty, he said the Faculty Forum was standing behind Doolla while the allegations were being investigated.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch continues to investigate Sahil’s death. It is scrutinising CCTV footage covering the examination hall, campus and hostel. The footage had not been released or shown to anyone and was being examined by the investigating team, an official said.
CCTV cameras recorded Sahil’s movements inside the examination hall between 12.30 pm and 12.45 pm on September 18. With around 15 minutes remaining for the examination, he was allegedly seen bending down to look at something kept in his pocket, following which a professor questioned him and took him aside, the Crime Branch has said, as reported by ANI.
Sahil later reached his hostel room around 1.25 pm and did not step out thereafter. He was found dead in his room later.
IIT Bombay relieved Doolla of his duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs on September 21 amid the investigation. The institute’s PRO clarified that Doolla had only been suspended from the deanship and continued as a faculty member.
Sahil’s family has alleged caste-based harassment and sought a thorough probe, including a CBI inquiry. His parents have filed a case under the SC/ST Act, alleging discrimination.
