Mumbai, Sep 21 (PTI) In the backdrop of the Sahil Wakode suicide case, several students of IIT Bombay on Monday called for changes in the institute’s student welfare mechanisms and greater attention to mental health issues.
They also said targeting an individual professor was “completely wrong”.
Wakode (22), a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room on the IIT Bombay’s Powai campus on September 18 evening.
It has resulted in protests by students and a police case against a professor under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act based on the complaint of his parents about alleged caste discrimination and harassment.
“Even if there are differences in opinion among students on the issue, we all agree on one thing: changes need to be brought to how student welfare is done, including in the student wellness cell, psychiatrist support, and similar areas. Students’ voices should be heard when decisions are made,” a student said.
“But, I think students disagree on the treatment of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla. The caste angle portrayed in the media is wrong and does not exist,” the student asserted.
Removal of Prof Doola from the post of Dean (Administrative Affairs) is completely wrong because he was doing his job, he claimed.
Another student too told the media that reports of caste discrimination are incorrect.
“In the institute, there is no discrimination on the basis of caste. Therefore, the media reports on caste bias in IIT Bombay are completely wrong,” he said.
Stress might be the reason for Sahil Wakode to take his life, said another student.
“I feel stress must be the reason, otherwise there is no such other reason that could have led Wakode to take such a step. But stress is there because the courses are difficult. I feel that is a part of engineering, and that is how you learn,” he said.
However, some students also alleged that Prof Doolla had a track record of suspending students over what they described as trivial reasons and removing them from hostels.
Students said measures taken during Prof Doolla’s tenure as Dean of Students Affairs had created a sense of fear, adding that his past record made them believe he could have ordered suspension if they had spoken of it following the incident. PTI SM BNM
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