The Crossbill Team
The three-day standoff at IIT-Bombay eased on Sunday (September 20) after the administration accepted an 18-point charter put forward by protesting students following the death by suicide of 20-year-old Dalit student Sahil Wakode. The students will consider their next course of action after the terms of the agreement are presented at an open house on Monday.
The agreement was reached following an extended meeting between students holding a sit-in near the institute’s main gate and IIT-Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare, along with other senior administrators. Although the institute has not yet issued a formal statement, a livestream of the meeting showed Kedare signing the students’ 18-point charter.
One of the key demands was the immediate suspension of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination taken by Sahil and has been named in the FIR registered following a complaint by his parents. On the demand for his suspension, Prof Kedare is seen saying in the livestream: “We will follow the process.”
The charter seeks action in connection with Sahil’s death as well as broader changes to IIT-Bombay’s academic, disciplinary and student welfare mechanisms.
Sahil, a second-year BTech student in Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide on Friday, hours after he was allegedly found carrying a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. His parents have accused Doolla of being responsible for their son’s death and have also alleged caste-based discrimination against Sahil on campus.
Among the students’ demands is an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death. They have sought an interim report by September 30 and a final report by October 15. An open house involving the director, Dean of Student Affairs, the head of the Energy Science and Engineering department and other senior officials has also been sought by September 22.
The students have asked the institute to address their concerns over the incident and issue an apology for what they described as the defamation of Sahil.
The charter also calls for institutional changes, including a code of conduct for professors, mental-health sensitisation programmes for faculty and staff, improved in-person counselling services and reforms to the Disciplinary Action Committee process.
A proposed task force involving students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts would examine the causes of student distress and recommend preventive measures. The students have proposed that the body publish semester-wise reports for the campus community.
Other demands relate to administrative accountability, greater student representation, improved mental-health and medical facilities and the establishment of a 24/7 psychiatrist-on-call service at the IIT-Bombay hospital.
The students had sought a written response to their charter within 24 hours and an implementation plan by September 26. They have also demanded a written assurance that students taking part in the peaceful agitation will not face any punitive action.
The charter further states that the institute director should resign if the proposed reforms are not implemented within a month.
While students have called for Doolla’s suspension pending action in the case, the Faculty Forum of IIT-Bombay has backed the professor. The forum said Doolla was carrying out his invigilation duties and following the institute’s approved procedure.
In a statement signed by Faculty Forum president Prof Rajkumar S Pant, the forum expressed condolences to Sahil’s family but said it was concerned about what it described as the “tarnishing” of Doolla’s reputation.
The students are now expected to assess the administration’s commitments at Monday’s open house before deciding whether to withdraw their protest or continue with the agitation.
The agreement was reached following an extended meeting between students holding a sit-in near the institute’s main gate and IIT-Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare, along with other senior administrators. Although the institute has not yet issued a formal statement, a livestream of the meeting showed Kedare signing the students’ 18-point charter.
One of the key demands was the immediate suspension of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination taken by Sahil and has been named in the FIR registered following a complaint by his parents. On the demand for his suspension, Prof Kedare is seen saying in the livestream: “We will follow the process.”
The charter seeks action in connection with Sahil’s death as well as broader changes to IIT-Bombay’s academic, disciplinary and student welfare mechanisms.
Sahil, a second-year BTech student in Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide on Friday, hours after he was allegedly found carrying a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. His parents have accused Doolla of being responsible for their son’s death and have also alleged caste-based discrimination against Sahil on campus.
Among the students’ demands is an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death. They have sought an interim report by September 30 and a final report by October 15. An open house involving the director, Dean of Student Affairs, the head of the Energy Science and Engineering department and other senior officials has also been sought by September 22.
The students have asked the institute to address their concerns over the incident and issue an apology for what they described as the defamation of Sahil.
The charter also calls for institutional changes, including a code of conduct for professors, mental-health sensitisation programmes for faculty and staff, improved in-person counselling services and reforms to the Disciplinary Action Committee process.
A proposed task force involving students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts would examine the causes of student distress and recommend preventive measures. The students have proposed that the body publish semester-wise reports for the campus community.
Other demands relate to administrative accountability, greater student representation, improved mental-health and medical facilities and the establishment of a 24/7 psychiatrist-on-call service at the IIT-Bombay hospital.
The students had sought a written response to their charter within 24 hours and an implementation plan by September 26. They have also demanded a written assurance that students taking part in the peaceful agitation will not face any punitive action.
The charter further states that the institute director should resign if the proposed reforms are not implemented within a month.
While students have called for Doolla’s suspension pending action in the case, the Faculty Forum of IIT-Bombay has backed the professor. The forum said Doolla was carrying out his invigilation duties and following the institute’s approved procedure.
In a statement signed by Faculty Forum president Prof Rajkumar S Pant, the forum expressed condolences to Sahil’s family but said it was concerned about what it described as the “tarnishing” of Doolla’s reputation.
The students are now expected to assess the administration’s commitments at Monday’s open house before deciding whether to withdraw their protest or continue with the agitation.
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