Mumbai: The standoff at IIT Bombay entered a new phase late Sunday after Director Prof Shireesh Kedare signed an 18-point charter presented by protesting students seeking accountability and institutional reforms following the death by suicide of BTech student Sahil Wakode.
Kedare held a nearly three-hour meeting with students who had been staging a sit-in near the institute's main gate for three days. During the meeting, students pressed for action against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who had been invigilating the examination attended by Wakode shortly before his death.
The charter states that action should be taken against the professor who allegedly threatened Wakode. Students have also demanded an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the student's death, with student representatives and external members recommended by them included in the process.
When the issue of action against Doolla was raised during the meeting, Kedare was heard saying that the institute would 'follow the process'. An institute official later indicated that the matter would be dealt with through due procedure, suggesting that signing the charter did not amount to an immediate decision on every individual demand.
Details On IIT Bombay Students' Charter
The 18-point charter also seeks an open apology over what the protesters described as the public 'defamation' of Wakode. Students have demanded an interim report of the proposed independent inquiry by September 30 and a final report by October 15.
Several of the demands relate to broader changes in IIT Bombay's academic, disciplinary and student-welfare systems. These include a code of conduct for professors, sensitisation of faculty and staff on mental health, improvements in in-person counselling and changes to the Disciplinary Action Committee process.
The students have also sought greater representation in institutional decision-making and proposed a task force comprising students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts to examine student distress and recommend preventive measures.
The charter calls for improved mental-health and medical services, including a 24-hour psychiatrist-on-call facility at the institute hospital. Students have sought a written implementation plan by September 26 and an assurance that those participating peacefully in the protest will not face disciplinary action. Another demand states that the director should resign if the proposed reforms are not implemented within a month.
The developments followed the death of Wakode, who was found dead in his hostel room on September 18. The second-year Energy Science and Engineering student had allegedly been found using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination earlier that day.
IIT Bombay said Wakode had uploaded the examination question paper to an AI platform to seek answers, but maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. The institute said he was counselled and assured that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.
Mumbai Police File FIR
Mumbai Police have registered an abetment-of-suicide case based on a complaint by Wakode's parents and invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after the family alleged caste-based harassment. The investigation has since been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch. IIT Bombay denied the caste-discrimination allegation, saying no complaint had been submitted by Wakode to its SC/ST cell or administration.
Meanwhile, the institute's Faculty Forum has backed Doolla, stating that he was performing his invigilation duties according to approved academic procedures. The forum also expressed concern over what it called the 'tarnishing' of his reputation and said he had reported the alleged examination malpractice through the prescribed process.
Videos purportedly showing Kedare signing the charter at the protest site are circulating on social media. The Free Press Journal has not independently verified the authenticity of the videos.
The institute's Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Monday. Details of the late-night agreement are also expected to be discussed at an open house, after which students are likely to decide whether to continue their protest.
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