In response to protests over death, IIT Bombay delayed semester exams.

Mumbai: An official said on Thursday, September 24, that IIT Bombay has postponed the mid-semester exams scheduled for September 26-27 to October 10-11 in response to protests over the alleged murder of scholar Sahil Wakode.

After Wakode, a second-year BTech student, was discovered hanging in his hostel room on September 18, the Indian Institute of Technology ( IIT ) Bombay has been the subject of controversy for the past six days. His relatives claimed that he had experienced caste-based harassment and discrimination.

As they gathered outside the university to show their support for Sahil Wakode’s home, authorities earlier in the day detained Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, many members of her group, and NSUI protesters.

However, a purported email from IIT Bombay teacher Suryanarayana Doolla, the then Dean of Student Affairs, has been circulating on social media.

Prof. Doolla warned students against asking their fellow students about their admission categories, JEE ( Advanced ) ranks, or GATE scores in the email, noting that such inquiries might reveal their caste or whether they belonged to a reserved category.

In order to facilitate an impartial investigation into the case, Prof. Doolla, who has been named in the First Information Report ( FIR ) that police have registered for alleged abetment on grounds of caste discrimination, took a leave of absence earlier this week.