Case filed against IIT Bombay faculty for caste slur and inciting suicide
Student Sahil Wakode was in his second year of B.Tech in Energy Science at IIT Bombay.
Mumbai Police have registered a case against faculty member Surya Narayan Dulla of IIT Bombay for using casteist slurs and abetting suicide. This action was taken a day after a 22-year-old student was found dead in his hostel room.
The Hindu reported that the deceased student, Sahil Wakode, was in his second year of B.Tech in Energy Science at IIT Bombay. IIT Bombay stated that Sahil committed suicide. According to the institution, this incident occurred after he was caught using a mobile phone during an exam.
On Saturday, police registered an FIR based on a complaint by Sahil's father, Chakradhar Wakode.
A case has been registered against Surya Narayan Dulla under various sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as well as for abetting suicide.
In the FIR, Sahil's father alleged that,
when his son was in the second year and they met, Sahil mentioned that for the past three months, faculty member Surya Narayan Dulla, at the direction of Director Shri Shirish B. Kedare, had been harassing him using casteist slurs.
Chakradhar stated in the FIR that,
Dulla had told his son that he was from a 'lower caste' and that they could harass him and frame him in any false case. He said that after this, he provided mental support to his son.
Chakradhar Wakode mentioned other senior officials of IIT Bombay in addition to Surya Narayan Dulla in his complaint.
IIT Bombay had stated in its initial statement that Sahil had uploaded the exam question paper of the third semester on ChatGPT and attempted to obtain answers. According to another student who was taking the exam in the same building,
Dulla had caught Sahil using a mobile phone and threatened to debar him from the exam. The student stated that Dulla had also asked Sahil to attend a meeting regarding this matter the next day. The student reported that Sahil immediately left the examination hall. Later, he was found dead in his room in hostel number 4 on campus.
A protesting student said in a phone conversation that,
the environment of study at IIT Bombay is quite stressful. According to the student, this is the second suicide in hostel number 4 in the past few months.
Following the incident, students began protests. According to a protesting student, their demands include the resignation of the director of IIT Bombay. Police are currently investigating the entire case related to Sahil's death. The case of the suicide of Dalit student Darshan Solanki at IIT Bombay had also come to light earlier. 18-year-old Darshan allegedly committed suicide on February 12 on the institute's campus. At that time, Mumbai Police had stated that they found a suicide note written by Darshan, in which he held one of his classmates responsible for his death.
Police had reported that the classmate named in the note was a suspect in the case. The police were in the process of registering an FIR under Section 306 (abetting suicide) of the Indian Penal Code. Another officer involved in the investigation had stated that allegations of caste discrimination against Darshan were also being investigated, and relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act would also be included in the FIR.
Police had also stated that,
they had obtained WhatsApp chats between Darshan and his classmate. Investigators noted that it appeared something had happened between Darshan and his classmate on the day of his death or the night before. Police also expressed concern that Darshan may have been harassed by fellow students on campus.
The FIR was to be registered at Powai police station, as the incident fell under its jurisdiction. Subsequently, it was to be handed over to a Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted by the state government for investigation.
Darshan's family had alleged caste discrimination on campus since his death. Meanwhile, IIT Bombay had formed an internal committee. The committee stated in its interim report that there was no “specific evidence” of caste discrimination against Darshan. The report also mentioned that Darshan had good relations with his classmates and other students. However, this conclusion was contrary to statements given by Darshan's family and a senior student before the committee. That senior student had reported that Darshan's roommate had stopped talking to him after learning about his entrance exam rank.
The day after Darshan's death IIT Bombay stated in its statement that caste discrimination on campus is an “exception” and that students were not asked about their ranks.
However, a few days later, The Hindu reported that an internal survey conducted by the SC/ST cell of IIT Bombay had revealed widespread cases of caste-based discrimination on campus. These included students asking each other about their ranks and surnames, as well as making jokes about the “merit” of students who were admitted through reservations. Police are now investigating the allegations and circumstances surrounding Sahil Wakode's death.