A section of students said they will continue with the protest
Institute sources said he was being relieved of his administrative responsibilities to ensure that the investigation remained independent and unbiased. Wakode’s family has filed an FIR against Doolla and “other institute officials”, accusing them of abetment and harassment over the preceding three months. Protesting students had demanded an apology for what they described as the “defaming” of Wakode, besides an independent inquiry committee with student representatives and external members recommended by them.
Doolla, who has been accused by Wakode’s family of abetment, will continue as a professor in the department of energy science and engineering. Some students who continued their protest demanded that he be relieved of his academic work too in the interim. Wakode’s family in Yavatmal sought a CID investigation into the death, alleging foul play. No decision has yet been taken on the composition of the committee.
With Doolla’s suspension among their foremost demands, a section of students said the protests will continue. Their lawyer, Nikhil Kamble, said they were seeking police permission to stage a hunger strike on campus. “Among many of us in engineering, the feeling is that the institute authorities have largely done what they were required to do,” said a second-year student from hostel 4. The student said the mood was different among sections of the humanities community, where demands for the director’s resignation have been far more vocal.
But opinion within IIT-B remains sharply divided, mirroring the debate outside its gates and on social media. “We also feel the director has handled the situation well. He heard students out and helped calm the anxiety on campus. Those divisions are also playing out online. One section has sought accountability over allegations of caste discrimination and questioned whether institutional processes adequately protect students at moments of extreme distress. Another has rallied around Doolla, arguing that faculty cannot be publicly pronounced guilty for enforcing exam rules before an inquiry establishes the facts.
Wakode’s parents were also expected to join the protest on Monday evening.