MUMBAI: IIT Bombay’s associate dean of student affairs, Prof Himanshu Bahirat, stepped down from the post last week, citing personal reasons. He will, however, continue to teach at the institute.The development comes as a 10-member panel appointed by IIT-B’s board of governors submitted on Oct 15 its report examining the events around Sahil Wakode’s death. The report has not been made public and is expected to be placed before the board at its next meet.Bahirat didn’t respond to calls from TOI. Those familiar with the matter said the posts of deans and heads of depts were being seen as “immensely stressful” and “high-stakes roles” that could invite “trouble”.Wakode’s father seeks change of probe officerThe report is believed to be an interim one examining the events of Sept 18, when second-year student Sahil Wakode died by suicide.The panel was headed by Prof Ramesh Venkateswaran, chairman of the board of governors at IIT Palakkad, and included faculty members, students, an administrator, a psychiatrist and former vigilance officials.On Monday, Sahil’s father, Ravindra Wakode, wrote to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the joint commissioner of police, alleging that the family believed Prof Suryanarayana Doolla had left the country.Both Mumbai Police and IIT-B authorities dismissed the allegation as baseless, saying Doolla was in Mumbai.Wakode’s lawyer, Siddharth Ingle, demanded that investigating officer ACP Dhammapal Bansode be replaced by an officer of deputy commissioner of police (DCP) rank who does not belong to a Scheduled Caste or Scheduled Tribe. “We don’t want an SC/ST officer because we cannot take any objection to him if he does not carry out due diligence and does not file a case of discrimination against Doolla under the SC/ST Act,” Ingle said.Ingle also questioned why senior Maharashtra ministers had rushed to meet actor Tiger Shroff after Sunday’s shooting incident but had not visited the Wakodes. He read out messages from students who claimed they had overheard Prof Doolla shouting at Sahil after he was taken to meet other faculty members. Some students also claimed Sahil had refused to sign a confession note stating that he had cheated.Earlier in the day, the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association (AIISCA) condemned what it called “brutality against Dalit students and activists” on Sunday. It sought the intervention of the Maharashtra and National Commissions for Scheduled Castes, accountability from senior police officials, and action against IIT Bombay authorities. .IIT-B authorities, however, said they had not called the police. Officials were present for the visit of MP Varsha Gaikwad and to inspect the venue, they said. meanwhile, IIT-B alumni urged political parties to keep politics off campus, asking police to complete their investigation and protect the sanctity of the academic environment on campus. IIT-B for Bharat alleged that outsiders had tried to enter the campus by scaling boundary wall and questioned whether political involvement was diverting the protest from its demand for justice.
