Protest Not To Justify Cheating But Over Systemic Issues: IIT Bombay Students

Mumbai: IIT Bombay student representatives issued a statement on Monday stating that their protest following the death of a second-year student was not intended to justify cheating or academic misconduct but was aimed at raising concerns over systemic issues within the institute and seeking institutional reforms.The statement comes amid protests following the death by suicide of Sahil Wakode, a 20-year-old student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, on September 18. In an official statement issued on September 21, the student representatives said the loss of Sahil was a "deeply tragic event" that had compelled students to reflect on the systems and processes within the institute."We do not stand for or condone cheating or any form of academic misconduct. At the same time, the loss of our fellow student, Sahil, is a deeply tragic event that has compelled us to reflect on the systems and processes within our institute," they said."The protest initiated by students was not intended to justify academic misconduct. It was a collective effort to raise concerns about systemic issues that have existed for some time and to seek meaningful and strong institutional reforms so that no student has to face circumstances of this nature again," it said.The representatives said students had formulated a comprehensive set of demands over the past few days, which were formally placed before the Director. According to the statement, the Director acknowledged and signed the demands and agreed to work toward their implementation within the specified timelines.They also said an open house with the Director and other members of the institute administration had been held, allowing students to raise their concerns and questions directly."The Director addressed these concerns in detail and responded openly to the questions raised by students," the representatives said, adding that they appreciated his engagement with the student community and his approach to identifying and addressing institutional issues that had come to light.On Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, the student representatives clarified that they had never presumed his guilt or prejudged the ongoing investigation."With respect to Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, we would like to clarify that our position has never been one of presuming guilt or prejudging the ongoing investigation. We stand with Professor Doolla as a member of our faculty community and believe that the investigation must be allowed to proceed fairly and impartially," they said.The students said their demand was for Doolla to be relieved of his administrative duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs during the investigation as a precautionary measure to ensure its independence."The findings and appropriate action should follow from the established investigative process," they said.The statement further said the concerns arising from the tragedy should remain student-led and be addressed within the institute."The loss of Sahil should not become a platform for external political interests, organisations, or narratives to shape the concerns of the IIT Bombay student community. Our demands have emerged from the experiences and concerns of students on campus, and we believe that the process of reform should continue to remain rooted in the student community and the Institute," the statement said.The representatives said they would continue to seek accountability, transparency and institutional reform while working with the institute."We will continue to raise our concerns, represent the voices of students, and work constructively with the Institute towards building a safer, more accountable and supportive campus. IIT Bombay students are strong. IIT Bombay students are united. Student concerns must remain with the students," the statement concluded.