CCTV footage from the Powai campus on September 18, 2023, showed Prof Doolla pulling aside 22‑year‑old Sahil Wakode after the student was caught using a mobile phone during an exam. The footage, released by the institute, also captured the student’s subsequent death by hanging in his hostel room hours later.
Wakode’s parents allege that Prof Doolla subjected the student to caste‑based discrimination and pressured him into surrendering the phone. Father Ravindra Wakode told reporters that his son had warned him of harassment before his death.
In a statement, Prof Doolla denied using casteist slurs or humiliating language, claiming he followed institute guidelines. IIT Bombay’s faculty forum, led by Prof Rajkumar Pant, defended the professor, asserting that he was merely enforcing exam rules.
After the allegations surfaced, the university removed Doolla from his post as dean of student welfare and placed him on leave pending the outcome of the police inquiry. Mumbai Police have filed an abetment‑to‑suicide case and are verifying his account against other testimonies.
The investigation will continue through the end of October, with a preliminary report expected by the police. Meanwhile, students and staff have expressed concern over campus safety and the handling of academic misconduct.