IIT Bombay Forms 10-Member Panel to Probe Student Sahil Wakode’s Death

Just days after 20-year-old Sahil Wakode died by suicide following an incident in which he was allegedly found using a mobile phone during an exam, IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare stated on Wednesday that the Board of Governors has formed a 10-member committee to investigate the events leading to the student’s death on September 18.

He said, “The committee will be headed by Dr Ramesh Venkateswaran,” who serves as the Chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT Palakkad.

Although Professor Kedare indicated that the institute will soon release an official statement providing details about the other committee members, sources revealed that the committee will also comprise Professor K Narayanan from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Professor Sadip Kumar Saha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, who is also the convener of the institute’s SC/ST Students and Staff Cell, and Professor Deepti Kalsi from the Department of Chemistry.

Committee Includes Students, Experts and Officials

The committee includes three student members: Aditya Joshi, General Secretary (Hostel Affairs); Dev Arora, Overall Coordinator of the Student Mentor Programme; and research scholar Devi Lal. The committee also comprises retired IAS officer Vishwanath Giriraj, former institute vigilance officer Professor K G Suresh from the Department of Physics, and psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty.

The decision follows pressure from students calling for an independent investigation into the events surrounding Sahil Wakode’s death.

Meanwhile, IIT Bombay students have called for an independent and transparent inquiry into Professor Doolla being asked to go on leave. Students have called for the institute to conduct an independent and transparent inquiry into the entire incident, from the time Sahil Wakode was allegedly found using a mobile phone in the exam hall to his subsequent death.