Mumbai: The ongoing standoff at IIT-Bombay reportedly reached a critical turning point late Sunday evening after the institute’s administration agreed to consider an 18-point charter of demands presented by protesting students. Director Prof Shireesh Kedare reportedly signed the document after a marathon meeting with students who had been holding a sit-in demonstration near the main campus gate for three days.

The student agitation follows the death by suicide of 20-year-old student Sahil Wakode. The main demand raised by the protesters is strict action against Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination Wakode attended shortly before his death.

Students have demanded Prof Doolla’s immediate suspension. Addressing the issue during the meeting, Prof Kedare stated that the institute would “follow due process”. An institute official later clarified that the matter would be handled according to established procedures, indicating that endorsing the charter does not imply an immediate execution of every individual request.

The late-night agreement was reached following nearly three hours of negotiations between student representatives and senior officials of the IIT-Bombay administration. The charter outlines demands regarding the investigation into Wakode's death alongside broader structural reforms across academic, disciplinary and student-welfare frameworks.

Unverified videos circulating on social media claim to show the resignation of the IIT-Bombay Director. However, no official confirmation has been issued regarding his resignation.

Sources on the evening of September 20 had indicated that the management was contemplating several measures, including the potential resignation of the Director.

 

Key provisions of the 18-point charter

Beyond the demand for Prof Doolla's suspension, the 18-point charter calls for an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death, requesting an interim findings report by September 30 and a final report by October 15.

Students have also demanded an open-house session involving the Director, the Dean of Student Affairs and senior administration members, alongside a formal apology over what they described as the public “defamation” of Wakode.

 

Several key demands focus on institutional reforms:

  • Formulation of a clear code of conduct for faculty members.
  • Mandatory mental health sensitisation programmes for teaching and non-teaching staff.
  • Enhancement of in-person counselling services.
  • Overhaul of the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) procedures and increased student representation in governance.
  • Creation of a specialised task force comprising students, faculty, mental health professionals and external specialists to address student distress.
  • Upgrading campus medical facilities, including round-the-clock availability of an on-call psychiatrist at the institute hospital.

The charter mandates a written implementation roadmap by September 26, a guarantee of immunity from disciplinary action for peaceful protesters, and a conditional demand that the Director resign if these reforms are not executed within one month.

 

Cheating allegations, tragedy and legal action

Prof Doolla has been named in an FIR registered by the Mumbai Police based on a formal complaint filed by Wakode’s family. Police initially registered a case of abetment to suicide alongside relevant provisions under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following allegations of caste-based harassment. The investigation has since been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.

The demand for disciplinary action against Prof Doolla stems from an incident during an examination. Wakode, a second-year undergraduate in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination on Friday.

IIT-Bombay stated that Wakode had uploaded the examination paper to an AI tool to retrieve answers. The institute emphasised that no formal disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him at the time, adding that he received counselling and was assured the incident would not jeopardise his academic standing. Wakode was subsequently found dead in his hostel room.

The institute administration has rejected allegations of caste discrimination, stating that no prior complaint had been lodged by Wakode with the campus SC/ST Cell or the administration.

Meanwhile, the IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum issued a public statement supporting Prof Doolla, asserting that he acted strictly in line with approved academic procedures for invigilation. The forum expressed deep concern over the “tarnishing” of his professional reputation, confirming that he merely reported the alleged academic dishonesty through established institutional channels.

The administration is scheduled to present the details of Sunday night's agreement during an open-house interaction with students on Monday, following which the student body will determine whether to call off the protest. The institute’s Board of Governors is also expected to meet as police investigations continue.

 

IIT Kharagpur Director reaches out to students

Meanwhile, highlighting the broader concern surrounding examination stress across premier technical institutes, Prof Suman Chakraborty, Director of IIT Kharagpur, issued a supportive message to his students as they entered their examination halls.

“My dear students, as you walk into your examination halls, remember this: an exam measures what you wrote on one day. It does not measure who you are or what you will become,” he said in his message.