The Crime Branch concluded that it had no concrete evidence linking the professor to the alleged abetment of a student’s suicide on the IIT Bombay campus.
CCTV footage taken on 28 May 2024 shows the professor, Suryanarayana Doolla, escorting the student out of an exam hall after a cheating incident, but it does not capture any casteist remarks.
Wakode’s family filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, alleging institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination; they claim the professor’s actions contributed to the student’s mental distress.
Doolla, who had been serving as dean of students welfare, stepped down from the post to allow a fair inquiry; the faculty forum expressed solidarity, but the institute has not imposed any disciplinary action.
Police have interviewed Doolla and two other professors present during the incident, and the investigation remains in its early stages pending a formal verdict; the family expects a formal conclusion before proceeding with further legal steps.