'SC/ST Act is being weaponised': Tech CEO backs IIT Bombay Professor, calls for case withdrawal
I strongly oppose the charges against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla of IIT Bombay under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, says Tensemi CEO Ananthan Ayyasamy
- Sep 20, 2026,
- Updated Sep 20, 2026 8:21 PM IST
The case against IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla must be withdrawn, Tensemi founder and CEO Ananthan Ayyasamy said on Sunday. He opposed the charges filed against the professor under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
"I strongly oppose the charges against Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla of IIT Bombay under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," Ayyasamy, who is also BJP's Tenkasi district president, said in a post on X.
Ayyasamy, who served as Director of Engineering at Intel from Jan 2020 to March 2023, said he belongs to the Devendra Kula Vellalar (DKV) community, which is classified as Scheduled Caste. He said he grew up in deep rural poverty and had witnessed the suffering of his community.
Read More: IIT-Bombay student's death: Protests rock campus as students press director for transparency
The techie said he was educated with the support of people from different communities and went on to study Electronics at NIT Tiruchirappalli.
He later worked at C-DOT Bengaluru and Intel in India and the US, where he rose to Engineering Director and Senior Silicon Architect. He said he was responsible for high-speed interconnects used in modern CPUs and GPUs and holds multiple patents in the field.
"I share this to make clear that I know what it means to come from an SC community and rise through hard work and commitment," Ayyasamy said.
'Case must be withdrawn'
The Tensemi founder also said his DKV community had taken a "principled, voluntary stand" not to file cases under the SC/ST Act.
"We have seen how cases under this Act are weaponised, and how that deepens enmity on the ground,” he said. "On that basis, I oppose the misuse of this Act in this case. The case against Prof. Doolla must be withdrawn."
Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu also backed Ayyasamy's position. "I deeply respect Ananthan's principled stand in this matter. Prof Suryanarayana Doolla should not be subject to this," Vembu said.
What the case is about
Doolla was named as an accused after 22-year-old IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode was found dead in his hostel room on Friday. Wakode was a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department.
Police said Wakode had allegedly been caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination hours before his death. IIT Bombay said he had allegedly uploaded the examination paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
Wakode's parents alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination before his death.
Based on their complaint, Powai police registered a case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Doolla was named as an accused. The investigation has since been transferred to the Crime Branch.
IIT Bombay has denied allegations of caste discrimination and said no disciplinary action had been initiated against Wakode after the exam incident.
No arrests have been made so far, and the investigation is underway.
(With inputs from PTI)
The case against IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla must be withdrawn, Tensemi founder and CEO Ananthan Ayyasamy said on Sunday. He opposed the charges filed against the professor under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
"I strongly oppose the charges against Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla of IIT Bombay under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act," Ayyasamy, who is also BJP's Tenkasi district president, said in a post on X.
Ayyasamy, who served as Director of Engineering at Intel from Jan 2020 to March 2023, said he belongs to the Devendra Kula Vellalar (DKV) community, which is classified as Scheduled Caste. He said he grew up in deep rural poverty and had witnessed the suffering of his community.
Read More: IIT-Bombay student's death: Protests rock campus as students press director for transparency
The techie said he was educated with the support of people from different communities and went on to study Electronics at NIT Tiruchirappalli.
He later worked at C-DOT Bengaluru and Intel in India and the US, where he rose to Engineering Director and Senior Silicon Architect. He said he was responsible for high-speed interconnects used in modern CPUs and GPUs and holds multiple patents in the field.
"I share this to make clear that I know what it means to come from an SC community and rise through hard work and commitment," Ayyasamy said.
'Case must be withdrawn'
The Tensemi founder also said his DKV community had taken a "principled, voluntary stand" not to file cases under the SC/ST Act.
"We have seen how cases under this Act are weaponised, and how that deepens enmity on the ground,” he said. "On that basis, I oppose the misuse of this Act in this case. The case against Prof. Doolla must be withdrawn."
Zoho founder and chief scientist Sridhar Vembu also backed Ayyasamy's position. "I deeply respect Ananthan's principled stand in this matter. Prof Suryanarayana Doolla should not be subject to this," Vembu said.
What the case is about
Doolla was named as an accused after 22-year-old IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode was found dead in his hostel room on Friday. Wakode was a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department.
Police said Wakode had allegedly been caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination hours before his death. IIT Bombay said he had allegedly uploaded the examination paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
Wakode's parents alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination before his death.
Based on their complaint, Powai police registered a case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and relevant provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Doolla was named as an accused. The investigation has since been transferred to the Crime Branch.
IIT Bombay has denied allegations of caste discrimination and said no disciplinary action had been initiated against Wakode after the exam incident.
No arrests have been made so far, and the investigation is underway.
(With inputs from PTI)