{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "Old Email by IIT Bombay Professor Dulla Surfaces Amid Investigation into Sahil Wakode Case",
  "summary": "As the Mumbai Crime Branch records statements in the suicide case of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, a July 2024 email by accused Professor Suryanarayana Dulla advising students against caste and rank discrimination has resurfaced.",
  "content": "The investigation into the tragic death of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay student Sahil Wakode has gathered momentum as the Mumbai Crime Branch steps up its inquiries. Detectives handling the case have recorded the statements of several students from the premier institute, focusing specifically on those who were present alongside him in the examination hall as well as his close peer circle. The probe gained urgency after the deceased student's parents leveled grave allegations against faculty member Professor Suryanarayana Dulla, leading to the registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, alongside the administrative measure of sending the professor on leave.\n\nJuly 2024 Communication Back in the Spotlight\nAmid the growing controversy and active police scrutiny, an archival internal communication dispatched by Professor Suryanarayana Dulla has come into sharp focus. Sent on July 27, 2024, the email was issued during his tenure serving as the Dean of Student Affairs at IIT Bombay. Directed to the entire student body, the formal memo outlined guidelines aimed at fostering an inclusive campus atmosphere and curbing prejudice rooted in caste, religion, or socioeconomic standing.\n\nDirect Warning Against Questioning Ranks and Categories\nIn that circular, Professor Dulla specifically instructed students to refrain from probing their peers about sensitive background details. He highlighted that asking fellow classmates about their caste, birth details, admission criteria, JEE Advanced ranks, or GATE scores was entirely inappropriate. The email explained that even if such inquiries stemmed from harmless curiosity, they often resulted in latent prejudice and paved the way for social exclusion or discrimination within the academic community.\n\nGuidelines on Respectful Conduct and Digital Behaviour\nThe correspondence urged everyone on campus to maintain mutual respect, particularly regarding sensitive facets like religious faith, gender, and social identity. Professor Dulla issued an explicit caution prohibiting the forwarding or dissemination of offensive jokes, text messages, or digital material that carried casteist, communal, sexist, or homophobic undertones. The advisory warned that distributing such content severely damages the campus environment and carries the risk of stringent disciplinary penalties from the administration.\n\nContext of the Resurfaced Guidance\nThe reappearance of this official circular comes at a critical juncture when Professor Suryanarayana Dulla himself stands accused by Sahil's family. While his 2024 directives as Dean of Student Affairs sought to instruct students on eliminating caste bias and respecting individual dignity, investigators are currently sifting through classroom testimonies and campus records to establish the sequence of events surrounding the student's death.\n\nWhat this means for you\nThis development underscores the pressing scrutiny surrounding campus conduct, caste sensitivity, and student mental health in premier Indian institutions.\n\n• Across India: Elite engineering and technical institutions are expected to enforce stricter norms against inquiring into admission ranks and social categories. This will likely push administrations to implement firmer protocols governing informal student interactions and campus culture.\n• In Mumbai: The ongoing investigation by the Crime Branch will keep students and faculty members at the Powai campus actively engaged with inquiry procedures. Classmates who shared academic spaces with the deceased may continue to be summoned for formal statements.\n• For Parents: Families sending children to competitive academic institutions are paying heightened attention to grievance redressal mechanisms and mentor behavior. They will increasingly demand clear accountability regarding how faculty members interact with students under academic pressure.\n• For Campus Administrators: University authorities will face pressure to verify whether official anti-bias advisories are genuinely practiced on the ground. Institutions will have to bridge the gap between issuing written circulars and establishing real emotional support for vulnerable students.\n\nWhy this happened\nThe situation arose following the suicide of an IIT Bombay student and subsequent formal allegations made by his grieving family.\n\n• Direct Trigger: Following the death of student Sahil Wakode, his parents accused Professor Suryanarayana Dulla of driving him to the extreme step. This complaint prompted the police to register a case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act and institute authorities to place the professor on leave.\n• Investigative Steps: The Mumbai Crime Branch took charge of the probe and began questioning classmates who shared the examination hall with Sahil as well as his peer group. As the investigation unfolded, archival institutional records and communications were brought under public scrutiny.\n• Resurfacing of the Circular: During his tenure as Dean of Student Affairs in July 2024, Professor Dulla had authored a detailed advisory discouraging students from discussing ranks, caste, and identities. The sharp contrast between his past institutional circular and the current allegations against him propelled the email back into public discussion.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Whose statements have been recorded by the Mumbai Crime Branch in the Sahil Wakode case?\nThe Mumbai Crime Branch has recorded statements from Sahil's friends and fellow students who were present in the examination hall.\n\n2. What action has been taken against Professor Suryanarayana Dulla?\nA case under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act has been registered against him following allegations by Sahil's parents, and he has been sent on leave.\n\n3. When was the resurfaced email sent by Professor Dulla?\nThe email was sent on July 27, 2024, when he was serving as the Dean of Student Affairs at IIT Bombay.\n\n4. What were students advised not to ask peers in the July 2024 email?\nStudents were told not to ask classmates about their caste, admission category, JEE Advanced rank, or GATE score.\n\n5. What kind of digital content was prohibited in the circular?\nThe advisory warned against sharing or forwarding jokes and messages that were casteist, religious, sexist, or derogatory toward an individual's sexual orientation.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/maharashtra/iit-bombay-chhatra-khudakushi-mamale-men-prophesara-suryanarayana-dulla-ka-purana-imela-samane-aya-kainpasa-men-bhedabhava-rokane--36944",
  "category": "Maharashtra",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-23",
  "tags": [
    "IIT Bombay",
    "Sahil Wakode",
    "Suryanarayana Dulla",
    "Mumbai Crime Branch",
    "Campus Discrimination",
    "SC ST Act"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}