New Delhi:
IIT Bombay, a place with academic excellence and social prestige, has been witnessing massive protests today over the death by suicide of a second-year student after he was caught using an AI platform on his mobile phone to seek answers during an examination. This was the third suicide case on the campus within a span of seven months.
In February, a second-year IIT Bombay student died by suicide in his hostel room at the institute’s Powai campus.
In July, a 20-year-old student similarly died by suicide.
Last evening, Sahil Wakode was caught uploading his examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. Officials said that the university did not initiate any disciplinary action against him, and instead counselled him and assured him it would not affect his career adversely. Hours later, he was found dead in his hostel room.
Protests at IIT Bombay
More than 400 students staged a protest inside the IIT Bombay campus over Wakode’s death. A group of students alleged that the institute’s authorities had threatened Wakode with a one-year suspension, adding that it could have required him to leave the hostel and stay outside the campus.
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Students claimed that disciplinary action of this nature could potentially have delayed completion of his engineering course beyond the standard four-year duration.
They also alleged that the administration had not disclosed all details surrounding the circumstances of the student’s death.
One of the students said that several such incidents had occurred on campus this year and questioned whether sufficient steps were being taken to understand their causes. Another demanded action and accountability from the administration.
“I am a 3rd-year undergraduate student in the Electrical branch at IIT Bombay. We are protesting today because a suicide occurred at our college. We have come out to demand accountability and transparency from the administration. This isn’t the first incident. There have been many this year, with two occurring in just the last two months. We are completely in the dark about why this is happening or what the underlying reasons are,” the student said.
He added, “We simply want the Dean, the Director, and the administration to provide a report assuring us that they will look into the matter, ensure accountability and transparency, and guarantee that such incidents do not happen again on their watch.”
IIT Bombay’s statement on student’s death
The institute, in a statement, said that the circumstances surrounding the student’s death are being “looked into” by the authorities.
“IIT Bombay is deeply saddened by the loss of a student. The Institute is extending support to the student’s friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident,” it said.
It added, “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 subsequently returned to his hostel room. Later in the evening, he was found dead in his room.”
