IIT Bombay Protest: Rajkumar Pant On Student Demands, Professor Suspension And Campus Row

Student protests at IIT Bombay have intensified following the death by suicide of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode, with questions raised over academic pressure, student welfare and the institute’s handling of the episode. Students have submitted an 18-point charter seeking an independent probe, stronger grievance-redressal mechanisms and better mental-health support, along with action against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, however, has backed Doolla, saying he was performing his academic responsibilities and stressing that the investigation should be allowed to proceed. Faculty Forum president Rajkumar Pant has defended the professor and called for due process as the campus remains divided over accountability and reforms.