IIT Bombay places professor on leave after student’s death

IIT Bombay has placed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla on leave and appointed a 10-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding student Sahil Wakode’s death. The decision comes as Mumbai Police investigate the case, including the examination incident hours before Wakode was found dead on September 18. The committee, formed by the institute’s Board of Governors, has been asked to submit its report within 10 days, according to a report on the board’s decision. Doolla had already been removed from his administrative position as dean of Administrative Affairs, according to reports. The institute inquiry is separate from the police investigation, and neither has issued findings in the material available. CCTV footage from the examination hall shows Wakode using a mobile phone during an exam. It then shows Doolla taking Wakode’s paper and answer sheet and escorting him out of the hall. The footage establishes what happened inside the examination room, but does not show what followed or explain the circumstances of Wakode’s death.