The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Thursday announced it has postponed its mid-semester examinations scheduled for September 26 and 27, days after the death of a second-year student and the protests erupting on the campus premises.
As per an official circular issued by the institute, the exams slated to be held on Saturday and Sunday, will now be conducted on October 10 and 11, with the same timetable to be followed.
Cops at IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay confirmed the authenticity of the communication to several media outlets.
Exam rescheduled amid campus protests
The institute landed on the decision days after the death of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode, who alleged died by suicide. He was enrolled in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the institute.
He was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18 this year, hours after he was allegedly caught using a cell phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-sem examination.
Soon after his death, protests erupted on the IIT Bombay campus, and students voiced questions over the circumstances surrounding the incident, as well as the institute’s handling of the matter.
Sahil Wakode, who died by suicide
Invigilator asked to go on leave
Post-Wakode’s death and the protests, the IIT Bombay Board of Governors directed Professor Suryanarayanan Doolla, who had been the invigilator during the exam, to go on leave. Moreover, the Board has also formed a 10-member high-level committee to examine the circumstances and events that preceded the student’s death. The panel has been asked to submit the findings of the report within 10 days, sources privy to the investigation said.
The committee’s findings are likely to form part of the institute’s examination of the circumstances shrouding the incident.
IIT Bombay mulls changes to hostel system
Meanwhile, the institute is considering several changes to its hostel accommodation arrangements.
A snap of IIT Bombay's hostel
The institute is expected to introduce a twin-sharing system for students across all years. Currently, hostel rooms are generally shared by two students during their first year, while the students in the subsequent years are usually allotted single rooms. The proposed changes were discussed during an Open House meeting chaired on Monday between the institute’s Director Shireesh Kedare and students.