IIT Bombay faculty member booked for caste abuse, suicide abetment

The Mumbai Police on Saturday (September 19, 2026) booked IIT Bombay faculty member Suryanarayan Dulla, alleging caste abuse and abetment to suicide, a day after a 22-year-old student was found dead in his hostel room.

The student, Sahil Wakode, was pursuing his second year in BTech Energy Science. In a statement, IIT Bombay said he died by suicide after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination.

The police filed a first information report on Saturday (September 19, 2026) on a complaint from the student’s father, Chakradhar Wakode. Mr. Dulla, working in the Energy Science department, was booked under various sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and on abetment to suicide charge. 

“When Sahil was studying in the second year, when I met him, he said that for the last three months, on the instructions of Director Shri Shireesh B. Kedare, faculty member Suryanarayan Dulla had been abusing him using caste terms. Mr. Dulla told him that he was from a ‘lower caste and he [Mr. Dulla] can harass him and implicate him in any false case.’ After that, I gave him mental support,” Mr. Chakradhar said in the FIR.

Mr. Chakradhar mentioned “other senior officers” in addition to Mr. Dulla, in his complaint.

In its initial statement expressing condolences, IIT Bombay said Sahil had uploaded the third semester examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. Going by the statement of a student who was also present in the same building during the examination, Mr. Dulla caught Sahil and allegedly threatened debarment. Mr. Dulla also told him to attend a meeting the next day regarding the incident, the student said. Sahil left the examination hall immediately and was later found dead in his room in hostel number 4 on the campus. 

The student said that a high-stress environment prevailed in IIT Bombay, which is among the top technology institutes in India. “This is the second suicide in hostel four in recent months,” the student said in a telephonic conversation. 

**EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image received on Sept. 19, 2026, students stage a protest after a 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay committed suicide in his hostel room after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone during an examination, in Mumbai. (Handout via PTI Photo)(PTI09_19_2026_000145B)
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The students erupted in protest after the incident. The resignation of the IIT Bombay Director is one of their demands, said the student, who is among the protesters. The police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).