IIT Bombay Professor Made 'Casteist Slurs': Father Of Student Who Killed Self

Mumbai: In IIT Bombay student's death, a case of abetment to suicide has been registered against Professor Suryanarayan Dulla. Two other accused have been left unidentified in the First Information Report (FIR). The investigation has been transferred to the Crime Branch, Mumbai Police sources said.The father of Sahil Wakode, a second year IIT Bombay student who died by suicide hours after being caught using ChatGPT during an examination, has alleged caste-based abuse, threats and harassment over three months allegedly at the direction of Director Shireesh B Kedare.Also Read | Abetment Of Suicide Case Registered In IIT Bombay Student's DeathEarlier Sahil's mother had also alleged that her son was harassed. "My son has been killed. He was severely harassed. I want justice," she said.What FIR StatesRavindra Chakradhar Wankhade, father of 20-year-old Sahil, has registered a formal complaint regarding his son's death by suicide. According to the complaint, Sahil studied in Yavatmal till class 12 before getting admission to IIT Bombay and moving to a hostel.The first year of college went smoothly. The second year is when the problems began for Sahil.Wankhade alleged that Sahil was subjected to severe mental harassment and casteist slurs over the past three months. The complaint explicitly names Professor Suryanarayan Dulla, who was also an invigilator during the exam in which Sahil was caught cheating, alleging that he hurled caste-based abuses at the behest of Director Shireesh B Kedare.Sahil allegedly once told his father that Professor Dulla had threatened him by saying that because he belonged to a "lower caste," he could easily implicate him in a false case.Wankhade has held Dulla responsible for driving his son to kill himself, and has demanded action against the professor and other senior officials.A case of abetment to suicide and joint liability has been registered under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023. A case has also been registered under the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989 for intentionally insulting or intimidating a person with intent to humiliate a member of a SC/ST community.#BREAKING | IIT Bombay Suicide Case: Crime branch takes over investigation; Sahil Wakode's father alleges casteist slurs@sujata_dwivedi reports pic.twitter.com/Wpc3dYYeWA— NDTV (@ndtv) September 20, 2026IIT Bombay Suicide CaseSahil Wakode was an MSc second-year student in the IIT's Department of Energy Science and Engineering. He was found dead in his hostel room on the institute's Powai campus on Friday evening.According to IIT Bombay, Sahil was found using a mobile phone in the examination hall earlier that day and had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. However, no disciplinary action was taken against him. He was instead counselled and assured of no harm to his career, the institute said in a statement."No disciplinary action was initiated against the student. The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career," the institute claimed in a statement. It said Wakode then returned to his hostel room, and "later in the evening, he was found dead in his room"."The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities," the statement further said.This is the third death by suicide on the IIT Bombay campus in seven months. A second-year student died by suicide in his hostel room in February, and a 20-year-old second-year BTech student died by suicide in July.Also Read | 3 Suicides In 7 Months: IIT Bombay Students Call For "Action, Accountability"(With inputs from Rutvik Ganakwar)