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

“The system cannot account for suicides as some individual failure. There are environments that produce these conditions,” a student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay said, as about 700 students gathered at the campus main gate on Friday night to protest against the death of a second-year BTech student.

The student from the energy science and engineering department died by suicide in the afternoon of Sepetmber 18 . The student hailed from Maharashtra and came from a marginalised background, a student who requested anonymity told Careers360. The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) identified the victim as Sahil.

“This is the third death in a year and two in less than two months ,” said another student. “One month ago another suicide happened. Students are very angry just by the sheer frequency of it, the circumstances, and with the examination going on – they spontaneously organised the protest,” said the student.

Around 6 PM on Friday, a student saw the victim hanging from the ceiling fan in his room and reported it. “He was caught cheating and then he was intimidated by a professor of his department who told him that he will be suspended for a year. This is a clear lack of empathy, and the faculty did not follow rules.” another student said.

The protesting students have several demands, including the resignation of director Shireesh B Kedare and the dean, compensation for the family, and systemic changes in the institution. Parents of the deceased have demanded an FIR against the professor they hold responsible.

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IIT Bombay Death: Disciplinary procedure, no accountability

A student from IIT Bombay said “Around 8:30 PM, students started marching towards the main gate and around 700 students gathered last night. There was a large crowd.”

Students alleged that the faculty did not follow the disciplinary procedure prescribed by the institute. “Rules say first, even if a student gets caught in the middle of an exam, the answer sheet is taken away and a new sheet is provided to finish the exam. Then a department and academic discipline committee looks into the case. This is the process that should have been followed,” one of them said.

Following the protest, Kedare spoke to the protesting students. According to him, Kedare called the death a ‘very bad decision’. “He talked about how parental pressure is more than academic pressure,” the student said.

IIT Bombay in an institute statement on Saturday stated, “No disciplinary action was initiated against the student. The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor and the head of the department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career”.

The student alleged that the director’s response placed the responsibility primarily on the deceased student and not on the institute. “Basically he was trying to put the entire onus on the student. They're not taking any kind of accountability, as usual,” the student said.

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IIT Bombay Suicide: Parents demand FIR against professor

The parents of the deceased student came to campus onSaturday morning and demanded an FIR against the professor, a student added. “The parents of the deceased student came in the morning today and demanded to file an FIR against the professor and for that we have come to the police station,” the student said.

Another student from the campus stated the unworthy power the alleged faculty holds. “The course, where the deceased student cheated, was taught by Suryanarayana Doolla, the former dean of student affairs. His involvement may also have served as a rallying cry, as everyone was fed up with him. His tenure saw many suspensions – year-backs for students – one of which was reversed by the Bombay High Court. There’s a sense that a few people hold a lot of power, and browbeat others into following their lead,” the student stated.” Careers360 reached out to the professor for a comment on the allegations with no response, until the story got published.

Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC), IIT Bombay, also shared on their social media about the protest last night. In a post, it stated. “Students gathered en masse at the IIT Bombay Main Gate demanding justice for Sahil. Following the incident, the 4th within a year, a large gathering of students marched till the Main Gate protesting, and demanding accountability from the institute's director, deans and the administration,” APPSC said.

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IIT Bombay Protest: Concerns over competition, casteism

Another IIT Bombay student, speaking over a WhatsApp group, linked the death to broader concerns around academic competition and the campus environment. “We need a reduction of this competition culture. The entire value of students is reported to be their academic performance, and how far they reach. Far, where? The corporate ladder. Merely. The corporatisation of such brilliant minds, and absolute immense pressure and extensive limitation of space for organically meeting or connecting with people beyond echo chambers, are all intersecting here,” the student said.

The student also linked the pressure on students to limited resources, academic freedom and opportunities in the country. “This leads to the severe discourse of how limited the number of resources, and academic freedom, as well as academic pressure because of limited opportunities in the country, are the causes for the pressure cooker economy of people and students,” the student said.

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The student further alleged that cases of mistreatment and casteism also affect the campus community. “Moreover, there were several cases of mistreatment, torture, and casteism that pervade the students and completely imbalance the community space itself. To establish any practical demands, we need to first re-approach these itself,” the student said.

APPSC also stated similar concerns on its social media posts. “The students protesting have mentioned several factors that include a constant presence of casteism, relentless academic competition, a lack of free spaces for community creating an isolated, pressure-cooker environment, a systemically flawed structure of student counselling, and constant pressure of work, amongst the several destructive reasons that lead to such suicides,” the post stated.

“The wellness initiatives taken by the institute aren’t translating into anything tangible. The students that are advised to consult the faculty mentors don’t even come to classroom. The institute’s response is a very firefighting one. The many videos surfacing on social media of the confrontation between the authorities and students exemplify this attitude, which has very much become the characteristic of the current political atmosphere,” a student said.

If you know someone – friend or family member – at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA’s official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.