IIT Bombay Director Says He Will Resign Amid Protests Over Student Suicide

Mumbai: IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare told protesting students late Sunday night that he intends to resign, though he said he must follow due process and would convey his final decision after a Board of Governors meeting on Monday. The board was scheduled to meet to discuss the fallout from the death of a second-year student on campus.

The student, 22-year-old Sahil Ravindra Wakode of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. According to a statement from the institute, Wakode had allegedly uploaded his exam question paper to the AI app to seek answers. No disciplinary action was taken against him; instead, he was reportedly counselled by his instructor and department head, who assured him the incident would not affect his academic career, after which he returned to his hostel room.

Earlier, his family has alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination and was under severe academic pressure, including threats of suspension. 

Students have been protesting on campus since Friday, demanding accountability and an independent probe into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Following a complaint from Wakode's parents, police registered an FIR on Saturday for abetment of suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A professor has been named as an accused in the case, which is now being investigated by the Crime Branch.

During a nearly three-hour meeting with protesters on Sunday night, Kedare reportedly agreed to an 18-point charter of demands put forward by the students, with officials noting that due process would still need to be followed for specific actions.