An IIT Bombay professor has been placed on leave amidst an FIR concerning the alleged suicide of a student, with the student's parents levelling accusations of caste abuse and institutional harassment. This development has also spurred student protests advocating for significant institutional reforms within the academic and administrative environment.

An IIT Bombay professor has been placed on leave amidst an FIR concerning the alleged suicide of a student, with the student's parents levelling accusations of caste abuse and institutional harassment. This development has also spurred student protests advocating for significant institutional reforms within the academic and administrative environment.

An IIT Bombay professor has been placed on leave amidst an FIR concerning the alleged suicide of a student, with the student's parents levelling accusations of caste abuse and institutional harassment. This development has also spurred student protests advocating for significant institutional reforms within the academic and administrative environment.

IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in an FIR in connection with the alleged suicide of a second-year BTech student, has been sent on leave by the institute, media reports said on Wednesday.

The student, 22-year-old Sahil Ravindra Wakode, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his hostel room on Friday evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination.

The action against Professor Doolla, who was invigilating the examination, came in the wake of allegations made by the student’s parents that he had earlier hurled caste abuses at Sahil.

Doolla was removed as the Dean of Administrative Affairs on Monday following protests by students over the suicide case.

Sahil’s parents alleged that he had been subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination over the past three months, and demanded the immediate arrest of IIT Bombay Director Professor Shirish Kedare and Professor Doolla.

The Mumbai Police have booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following a complaint lodged by Wakode's family.

IIT Bombay Faculty Forum President Dr Rajkumar Pant, however, claimed on Tuesday that Sahil had not approached the institute's SC/ST cell with any complaint in the recent past.

Dr Pant also backed Doolla, saying he was generally helpful to students and not someone who would engage in harassment.

The protesting students, meanwhile, raised concerns over what they described as intense academic pressure and alleged threats of suspension.

The protesters have stressed that their demonstrations are not intended to justify academic misconduct. Instead, they are calling for institutional reforms and a broader examination of the academic and administrative environment at the institute.