IIT Bombay Student Suicide: Crime Branch Grills Professor Suryanarayan for 8 Hours

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch carried out an intensive, eight-hour interrogation of IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayan Dula in connection with the tragic death of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode. Wakode, a second-year B.Tech undergraduate, was found dead inside his hostel room at the institute’s Powai campus on September 18. Investigators summoned Dula to question him regarding events preceding the incident and allegations raised by the student’s family, who have formally demanded his arrest under abetment and discrimination charges.

Examination Hall Incident and Institutional Actions Preceding the Tragedy

Hours before his death on September 18, Wakode was reportedly caught utilizing a mobile phone inside an ongoing examination hall. Addressing the incident, IIT Bombay administration stated that the student had uploaded questions to ChatGPT to generate solutions during the test; however, the institute maintained that no formal punitive disciplinary measures had been initiated against him at that point. Following Wakode's death and subsequent FIR registrations, Professor Dula was removed from his administrative portfolio as Dean of Student Welfare and directed to proceed on leave pending statutory inquiries.

Professor Denies Accusations of Bias as Police Corroborate Statements

During the extensive questioning session with Crime Branch detectives, Professor Dula firmly dismissed the allegations leveled against him. He maintained that his interactions strictly adhered to standard institutional code of conduct and denied using any casteist slurs, discriminatory language, or abusive behavior toward the deceased student. Investigating officers are cross-referencing his deposition against digital communication logs, campus surveillance footage, and testimonies recorded from fellow hostel residents and faculty colleagues present on the day of the incident.

Family Alleges Systematic Harassment and Seeks Strict Judicial Action

The deceased student’s father, Ravindra Wakode, alleged that his son had repeatedly complained of persistent bias and caste-based discrimination orchestrated by the professor. Recounting conversations with his late son, Ravindra Wakode shared that he had initially counseled Sahil to endure the pressure given the difficulty of securing an IIT seat, unaware of the severe mental toll it was taking. Following complaints filed by the bereaved family, the Mumbai Police booked the professor under sections concerning abetment to suicide, with senior supervisory teams conducting evidence checks across academic and residential wings of the campus.