The death of 20-year-old IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode has become the centre of a growing dispute on the institute campus, with a section of faculty now openly divided over the allegations of caste discrimination against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla.
An FIR has been registered against Doolla under provisions of the SC/ST Act following allegations made in connection with Wakode’s death. Doolla was the professor who had reportedly caught Wakode using a mobile phone during an examination on September 18.
The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum subsequently came out in support of Doolla, saying that he had been carrying out his responsibilities in accordance with the institute’s approved academic procedures.
However, Sociology professor Suryakant Waghmore has now challenged the Faculty Forum’s position, questioned its legal status and accusedit of taking sides in the matter, as reported in OpIndia.
Waghmore shared a screenshot of an email addressed to Faculty Forum president Rajkumar S. Pant on X with the caption, “Not me!!”
In the email, Waghmore questioned whether the Faculty Forum was legally authorised to issue such communications and objected to its support for Doolla.
“Last I heard, faculty forum is not a legal body. Please stop sending mass emails before you clarify, your legal status. A faculty colleague can be suspended till the investigation committee submits its report. We have had such precedence and the faculty forum should not pick sides in a biased way. This shows total lack of sympathy towards the student who has lost his life and all those who are grieving,” he wrote.
He further warned, “If I receive any more emails from FF, in this regard, I will have to pursue legal action against you.”
What The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum Said
The Faculty Forum had issued a statement expressing solidarity with Doolla following the registration of the FIR.
The Forum said it mourned Wakode’s death and extended condolences to his family, while maintaining that Doolla had been performing his duties under the academic policy approved by the institute’s Senate.
“The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay mourns the loss of life of a student of our institute and offers deepest condolences to his family. We strongly express our solidarity with our colleague Prof. Doolla, who was discharging his duties in line with the institute’s Senate approved academic policy currently in force,” the statement signed by Rajkumar S. Pant said.
The Forum also gave its account of what happened during the examination on September 18.
“Prof. Doolla, the course instructor, was invigilating in the midsemester examination from 11-00 to 13-00 on Friday 18th September 2026, when he observed that a student was indulging in an academic malpractice, viz., unauthorized possession and use of a smartphone during the exam. As part of the institute approved procedure, he reported the incident to institute authorities for further action in the matter,” it said.
The Faculty Forum also objected to what it described as attempts to damage Doolla’s reputation.
“The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay is absolutely distressed with the tarnishing of the reputation of our colleague Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, who was merely discharging his academic duties, and following the institute approved procedures,” the statement said.
Doolla’s Deanship Suspended, Faculty Forum Protests
The dispute intensified after the IIT Bombay administration suspended Doolla from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs with immediate effect on September 21. IIT Bombay’s current institute-functionaries page lists Doolla as Dean (Administrative Affairs).
The decision prompted a protest by the Faculty Forum.
Waghmore, however, criticised the Forum’s protest and questioned Doolla’s continuation in the position.
“deanship is taken and they are protesting. Is deanship birth right? What kind of dean speaks to students with such insensitivity? All that the leadership advised us yesterday was the need for faculty to be sensitive to student needs & here we go they are united against what?” Waghmore wrote on X.
Meanwhile, a group of 22 IIT Bombay students and alumni issued a statement supporting Doolla. According to the statement shared with OpIndia, the signatories vouched for Doolla’s integrity and said they had never witnessed caste-based bias in his dealings with students.
From An Examination Incident To Caste Discrimination Allegations
Wakode, a second-year BTech student, died by suicide in his hostel room on September 18, after the examination incident involving Doolla.
Following his death, protests were held at IIT Bombay, with students demanding action against the professor.
On 19 September 2026, Wakode’s parents alleged that Doolla had subjected their son to mental harassment and casteist slurs for around three months, allegedly at the direction of IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare.
The allegations resulted in the SC/ST Act case against Doolla.
Wakode’s father, Ravindra, has also demanded the immediate release of financial compensation under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Rules, 1995.
Under the rules, as amended in 2016, compensation is linked to the stage of the criminal proceedings. The framework provides for an initial portion to be released after the FIR, followed by further payments after the chargesheet and conviction, depending on the offence.
The original report also pointed to compensation provisions ranging from ₹1 lakh for offences such as caste slurs to ₹8.25 lakh for offences including murder or gang rape.
At the same time, the allegation that caste discrimination led to Wakode’s death remains part of the ongoing investigation. The report notes that no complaint against Doolla or Kedare had been made to the IIT Bombay administration or its SC/ST cell during Wakode’s time at the institute.
Wakode’s close friend Yatish Kumar also said he had never personally noticed anything suggesting that Wakode was facing caste-based discrimination.
Kumar recalled meeting Wakode four or five days before the examination and said he appeared to be his usual “fun”, “cool” and happy self.
“I don’t think casteism was an issue. I mean I have never experienced it,” Kumar told NDTV.
At the same time, Kumar clarified that he did not know everything that Wakode may have been going through because the two belonged to different departments.
Waghmore’s Background And Earlier Positions
Waghmore is a Sociology professor in IIT Bombay’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences. His academic background includes a BA from Karnataka University, an MA in Community Development from the Tata Institute of Social Sciences and a PhD from the University of Edinburgh as a Commonwealth Scholar.
His stated research interests include Dalit politics, caste and violence, and questions concerning Hinduism, civility and exclusion.
Waghmore has previously written critically about Indian vegetarianism, arguing that it is linked more to caste hierarchy than animal ethics. During the 2023 IIT Bombay mess-table dispute, he described what he called “Bhartiya vegetarianism of purity and segregation” as a “social illness” and compared assertive vegetarian students to militants.
He has also faced criticism for remarks concerning Brahmins and Hinduism.
In one X post, Waghmore wrote, “A true Brahmin should not cross the seas as per Manu and Dharmasutras. Brahmins experiencing racism in the US is not Hinduphobia… it’s karma?”
He has also expressed views questioning the “civility” of Hinduism.
In June 2025, a show-cause notice was issued to Waghmore following an opinion article he wrote for The Times of India titled “Mumbai’s Big Cash Polls”. According to the report, the article was published without prior institutional clearance, allegedly in violation of Schedule B, Paragraph 5(ii) of IIT Bombay’s code of conduct.
Waghmore has also previously used “gaumutra” references while responding to critics.
He has publicly described himself as a Hindu who eats cow meat.
He has contributed articles to Scroll and The Wire, with his writings covering subjects including caste, politics and Hinduism.
Clash With Congress Leader Shama Mohamed
Waghmore’s opposition to those defending Doolla also extended to Congress leader Shama Mohamed after she publicly expressed support for the IIT Bombay professor.
Mohamed wrote, “In this suicide, I stand with Professor Doolla. If a student is caught cheating, it is normal to admonish him & ask him to leave the room. If the student was harassed due to his caste, he should have complained to the SC/ST department. When we were kids – we were admonished by teachers, parents for our wrongdoings but our generation was mentally strong. I would request colleges to have mental health therapists for the wellbeing of the students.”
Waghmore responded by directly tagging Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and calling for action against Mohamed.
“Hello Mr. @kharge Please leave congress and find a better party.. if not get this post deleted.”
The dispute at IIT Bombay has therefore moved beyond the original examination incident, with the institute now witnessing a clash between faculty members over the Faculty Forum’s defence of Doolla, the administration’s decision to suspend his deanship, and the competing claims surrounding the circumstances of Wakode’s death.
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