IIT Bombay replaces ceiling fans with wall-mounted units after student death

Mumbai: IIT Bombay has begun replacing ceiling fans in its hostels with wall-mounted units, a move that has drawn attention following the death of a student and amid a widening debate over student welfare, discrimination and accountability at one of India’s premier engineering institutes.

The first batch of wall-mounted fans has arrived at the Powai campus and installation is expected to begin shortly, according to reports.

The development follows the death of Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, who was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on September 18.

However, the fan replacement was reportedly being considered before Wakode’s death. Discussions had been under way for about two months and the proposal was recently approved as part of hostel renovation work, according to reports.

Images of the new fans arriving on campus have circulated on social media.

The move has also attracted criticism, with NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gavande questioning whether changing fans could address the wider problem of student suicides and calling instead for greater attention to prevention and mental health support.

Wakode, 22, was from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district. His death has triggered protests and competing claims over the events that preceded it.

Reports initially said Wakode had been caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination hours before his death.

IIT Bombay subsequently apologised for aspects of its initial communication about the case, saying it had been inappropriate to characterise events preceding Wakode’s death before they had been established through the investigation.

His father, Ravindra Wakode, has alleged that his son faced harassment, mocking and caste-based discrimination and has sought an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

Following a complaint by the family, Mumbai Police registered a case against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita relating to abetment of suicide.

The allegations remain under investigation.

IIT Bombay has removed Doolla as Dean of Administrative Affairs, although he remains a member of the faculty.

The controversy has also exposed differing views on campus.

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has backed Doolla, saying he should not be condemned before the investigation is completed. Faculty members have held a march in his support.

One IIT Bombay student also rejected the allegations of caste discrimination against Doolla, saying he had never personally experienced such discrimination on campus.

The student said academic misconduct should be dealt with under institute rules and claimed the accusations against the professor were “completely baseless”.

Other students, however, have continued their protests, calling for institutional reforms, stronger student-welfare measures and an impartial investigation. Student representatives have stressed that their campaign is not intended to defend academic misconduct.

The dispute has now moved beyond the campus. Security has been increased around IIT Bombay, while Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch has taken over the investigation.

Investigators are examining CCTV footage and Wakode’s movements before his death as they seek to establish what happened in the hours preceding it.

- with inputs from IANS and ANI