# IIT-Bombay suicide: FIR against professor, crime branch probe ordered

2026-09-20T14:06:57+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

The parents of a second-year BTech student at IIT-Bombay who died by suicide on September 18 have alleged caste-based harassment by professor Suryanarayan Dulla. Powai Police registered an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita section 108 (abetment of suicide), naming Dulla, IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare, and other officials. After a seven-hour standoff at Rajawadi Hospital, police agreed to transfer the probe to the Mumbai Crime Branch and form a committee under the Joint Commissioner of Police. IIT-B director denied any caste discrimination, saying caste information is not available to faculty. The institute's SC/ST cell said no complaint was lodged by the student. This is the third suicide on campus this year and, according to an alumnus' compilation, the sixth at IIT-Bombay since September 2021.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

ABP Live leads with the father's caste-abuse allegation and the FIR, presenting the family's account without challenge. Deccan Herald adds VBA chief's demand for accountability but gives no official denial. Hindustan Times provides the fullest narrative, the seven-hour standoff, IIT-B director's categorical denial of caste discrimination, the SC/ST cell's statement that no complaint was received from the student, and the broader figure of 74 IIT suicides in five years. The director's denial and the cell's statement, both absent from the other two reports, are crucial counterpoints. The balanced reading: the police investigation will test whether the institution's blanket denial holds against evidence the family claims exists, and the third campus suicide this year puts IIT-B's handling of student welfare under scrutiny. The crime branch probe begins this week.

## Coverage

- news.abplive.com (pro government) <https://news.abplive.com/cities/iit-bombay-student-was-subjected-to-caste-based-abuse-alleges-father-1867508>
  Leads with and foregrounds father's caste-abuse allegation exclusively
- deccanherald.com (neutral report) <https://www.deccanherald.com/india/maharashtra/iit-student-suicide-fir-filed-against-professor-suryanarayana-over-casteist-remarks-vba-chief-asks-for-accountability-4152875>
  Brief straight report of FIR, adds VBA chief's demand but no institutional response
- hindustantimes.com (government critical) <https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/cops-agree-to-crime-branch-probe-into-iit-b-suicide-after-seven-hour-standoff-with-parents-101789845668106.html>
  Full account with director's denial, SC/ST cell statement, and 74-IIT-suicide figure

Tags: IIT Bombay, Mumbai Crime Branch, Powai police, Sahil Wakode
Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/iit-bombay-student-suicide-fir-filed-over-caste-abuse-allegations/
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Cite: https://indianopinion.org/iit-bombay-student-suicide-fir-filed-over-caste-abuse-allegations/#story-in-brief