‘We do not condone cheating…’: IIT-B students say demands emerged from campus experiences, concerns
IIT-B student death: Student representatives said that the students protest was not intended to justify academic misconduct but to raise concerns about systemic issues.
- Sep 22, 2026,
- Updated Sep 22, 2026 8:05 AM IST
IIT Bombay student death: IIT Bombay student representatives said they do not condone cheating but also that the investigation must run its course. They said they were not “presuming guilt” on the part of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla but emphasised on the importance of a fair probe.
The statement comes after faculty members at IIT-Delhi came out in support of Professor Doolla, who has been removed as the dean of administrative affairs, saying he was only discharging his duties. Mumbai Police has also booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The student representatives said, “We do not stand for or condone cheating or any form of academic misconduct. At the same time the loss of our fellow student, Sahil (Wakode), is a deeply tragic event that has compelled us to reflect on the systems and processes within our institute.” The 22-year student, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his room. In a statement early on, IIT-B had said that Wakode was caught cheating, and that he had uploaded his question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. IIT-B later apologised for that statement, calling it inappropriate.
They said that the students protest was not intended to justify academic misconduct but to raise concerns about systemic issues.
“With respect to Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, we would like to clarify that our position has never been one of presuming guilt or prejudging the ongoing investigation. We stand with Professor Doolla as a member of our faculty community and believe that the investigation must be allowed to proceed fairly and impartially,” they said, adding that they had demanded that the professor be relieved of his duty as Dean of Administrative Affairs during the investigation.
The loss of Sahil should not become a political issue to be used by external organisations and narratives, they said. “Our demands have emerged from the experiences and concerns of students on campus,” they said.
IIT Bombay student death: IIT Bombay student representatives said they do not condone cheating but also that the investigation must run its course. They said they were not “presuming guilt” on the part of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla but emphasised on the importance of a fair probe.
The statement comes after faculty members at IIT-Delhi came out in support of Professor Doolla, who has been removed as the dean of administrative affairs, saying he was only discharging his duties. Mumbai Police has also booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The student representatives said, “We do not stand for or condone cheating or any form of academic misconduct. At the same time the loss of our fellow student, Sahil (Wakode), is a deeply tragic event that has compelled us to reflect on the systems and processes within our institute.” The 22-year student, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his room. In a statement early on, IIT-B had said that Wakode was caught cheating, and that he had uploaded his question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. IIT-B later apologised for that statement, calling it inappropriate.
They said that the students protest was not intended to justify academic misconduct but to raise concerns about systemic issues.
“With respect to Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, we would like to clarify that our position has never been one of presuming guilt or prejudging the ongoing investigation. We stand with Professor Doolla as a member of our faculty community and believe that the investigation must be allowed to proceed fairly and impartially,” they said, adding that they had demanded that the professor be relieved of his duty as Dean of Administrative Affairs during the investigation.
The loss of Sahil should not become a political issue to be used by external organisations and narratives, they said. “Our demands have emerged from the experiences and concerns of students on campus,” they said.