IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla sent on leave for ‘impartial probe’ into student’s death
IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla has been placed on leave following allegations of caste discrimination and abetment of suicide regarding a student's death. The Mumbai Crime Branch is currently investigating the case.
Why it matters
The case has sparked significant protests and raised concerns about institutional accountability and discrimination within elite educational environments.
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, an accused in the alleged suicide of student Sahil Wakode, has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe into the case, sources said on Wednesday (September 23, 2026).
IIT Bombay on Monday (September 21, 2026) removed Doolla as the dean of Administrative Affairs following protests over the student’s suicide.
Prof. Doolla has been sent on leave after being removed from his dean post to enable an impartial probe, with no classes currently underway, the sources said.
The Mumbai Crime Branch is currently investigating Wakode’s death.
Wakode (22), a second-year B.Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, according to officials.
Crime branch to probe IIT-Bombay student death case; faculty forum backs professor named in FIR
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in