IIT Bombay postpones mid-semester exams amid students protest

Amid the protest at IIT Bombay over the death of a student on campus, the engineering institute has decided to postpone the mid-semester exams. The mid-semester exams, which were scheduled to be held on September 26 and 27, will now be conducted on October 10 and 11.

The postponement comes a few days after a second-year BTech student, Sahil Wakode, was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18, hours after being caught allegedly using ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

Media report claims that the Mumbai-based engineering institute is also planning to introduce a twin-sharing hostel model for students across all years.

Also read ‘Not individual failure’: IIT Bombay students protest suicide, want director to quit, action against professor

IIT Bombay plans twin-sharing hostel model for BTech students

Currently, IIT Bombay provides accommodation with a twin-sharing only for first-year students. However, as per the new model, this will be extended to every year students, the report read.

The move aims to tackle student mental health and loneliness after the death of the BTech student, it added. Currently, the Mumbai Police is investigating Sahil’s death and allegations of caste-based harassment are being pressed by his family against professor Suryanarayan Doolla and others.

According to the institute, the BTech-engineering student was caught cheating during the exam and counselling by the invigilator Doolla.

Furthermore, recently, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi extended his support to the deceased student’s parents and assured them of all help in seeking justice for their son, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, an email purportedly sent in 2024 by IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, then Dean of Student Affairs, has been circulating on social media. PTI reports that in the email, Prof. Doolla cautioned students against asking fellow students about their admission categories, JEE (Advanced) ranks or GATE scores, saying such questions could reveal their caste or whether they belonged to a reserved category. Prof Doolla, who has been named in the First Information Report (FIR) registered by police for alleged abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination, was sent on leave earlier this week to facilitate an impartial probe into the case.

IIT Bombay’s BTech student’s parents had been on an indefinite hunger strike outside the IIT Bombay gate from 11 am today, the report read.

In addition, the engineering institute has sent professor Doolla on leave, citing an impartial probe into the suicide of the BTech student on grounds of caste discrimination, it added.

(With PTI inputs)