What are the allegations made by the parents of the IIT Bombay student who died?

The parents allege that their son faced caste-based remarks and abuse from faculty, specifically citing comments made by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla.

How is the committee investigating the student's death at IIT Bombay?

The 10-member committee is examining all aspects of the incident, including the circumstances surrounding the death and the concerns raised by the student’s family regarding treatment based on caste.

Why are students protesting following the suicide of the IIT Bombay student?

Students are protesting to demand accountability and call for an independent investigation into the circumstances of the student's death and the actions of the faculty involved.

IIT Bombay’s 10-member committee begins probe into student’s death

The committee was appointed four days after the student’s death and has been asked to submit its report within a week

Published on: Sep 23, 2026, 17:04:22 IST

By Niraj Pandit, Mumbai

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

The 10-member high-power committee appointed by the Board of Governors (BoG) of Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) started its inquiry into the death of a 20-year-old BTech student on the campus. The committee will examine all aspects of the incident, including the allegations made by the student’s parents regarding caste-based remarks.

The committee is headed by Prof Ramesh Venkateswaran, chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT-Palakkad. It includes faculty members, students, an administrator, a former vigilance officer and a psychiatrist. (HT Photo)

The committee was appointed four days after the student’s death and has been asked to submit its report within a week. The panel started examining the circumstances surrounding the incident and will also look into the concerns raised by the student’s family.

Also Read:IIT Bombay alumni seek fair probe into student’s suicide, appeal against ‘media trial’

Deep Dive

Ask HT

The committee is headed by Prof Ramesh Venkateswaran, chairman of the Board of Governors at IIT-Palakkad. It includes faculty members, students, an administrator, a former vigilance officer and a psychiatrist.

Among the IIT-Bombay faculty members on the panel are Prof K Narayanan from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Prof Sandip Kumar Saha from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Prof Deepti Kalsi from the Department of Chemistry. Prof Saha is also the convener of the institute’s SC/ST Students and Staff Cell.

Three students have also been included in the committee — Aditya Joshi, general secretary of hostel affairs, Dev Arora, overall coordinator of the Student Mentor Programme, and research scholar Devi Lal.

The other members are retired IAS officer Vishwanath Giriraj, former institute vigilance officer Prof K G Suresh from the Department of Physics and psychiatrist Dr Harish Shetty.

Also Read:IIT-B suicide: Parents insist on arrest of IIT Bombay director, professor; warn of hunger strike if no action taken

A senior institute official said the composition of the committee has been shared with the education ministry and its approval is awaited.

The inquiry will also look into the allegations made by the student’s parents, including their claim of caste-based remarks. The committee will examine the different aspects of the case before submitting its report to the institute.

Also Read:IIT-Bombay suicide: Students differ over campus protests

Meanwhile, questions continue over the role of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla in the events preceding the student’s death. Some professors have claimed that Doolla was asked to go on leave pending the inquiry. However, there was no official confirmation from the institute about his leave.

The development came as faculty bodies from several IITs, including IIT Kharagpur, IIT Kanpur, IIT Hyderabad, IIT Roorkee and IIT Guwahati, expressed support for their counterparts at IIT Bombay and called for due process in the matter.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Niraj Pandit
Niraj Pandit is a journalist based in Mumbai who has spent than two decades working in reporting and editing. He is currently employed by Hindustan Times. At Hindustan Times he focuses on education, higher education, public policy and civic issues in Maharashtra. For years he has covered schools, universities, entrance exams, education reforms and government policies. He has also covered civic and infrastructure topics. Before joining Hindustan Times in 2022 he was with known Marathi newspapers such as Loksatta, Lokmat, and Maharashtra Times. He worked in reporting, editing and newsroom leadership roles. His work has included stories about education, science and technology government operations and public interest topics. He has reported on subjects such as IIT Bombay and the universities, school education, exam reforms and state education policies. His reporting has always aimed to create fact-based stories that make complicated public issues easy to understand.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather major national developments and Karnataka Bandh LIVE.