IIT Bombay has issued anti-discrimination guidelines advising students, faculty members and staff not to ask about a student’s birth, admission category, JEE (Advanced) rank or GATE score, saying such questions can create conscious or subconscious bias.
The guidelines were issued on October 13 by the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs, nearly a month after the death of 22-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode and amid continuing protests over student welfare and institutional accountability.
According to the communication, asking a student about their birth or admission category is inappropriate because the information may influence how they are perceived within the campus. The institute also included questions about entrance examination ranks and scores, saying these may reveal caste or related personal information.
The advisory said that even when such questions are asked out of curiosity, they may have a negative impact and could be perceived as discriminatory. It called for students to build relationships around common interests such as academic departments, sports, music, films, hometowns and hobbies instead.
The institute has also prohibited the exchange or forwarding of messages, including jokes, that are abusive, hateful, casteist, sexist or exhibit bigotry based on religion or sexual orientation. The prohibition applies to WhatsApp, Facebook, email and in-person communication, according to the email. Violations can lead to severe punishment, it said, without specifying the penalties in the communication cited by PTI.
The guidelines are part of IIT Bombay’s stated efforts to strengthen student welfare, streamline institutional processes and improve student participation in decision-making. Their release follows protests at the institute’s main gate, where students have been demanding dialogue with the administration on welfare-related issues.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student, was found dead in his hostel room on the evening of September 18 after allegedly being caught cheating during a mid-semester examination. His parents have accused Professor Suryanarayana Doolla of harassment and caste-based discrimination. The professor has denied the allegations and was questioned by Mumbai police for nearly 10 hours earlier this month.
The institute’s new advisory does not determine the findings of the police investigation or the internal inquiry into Wakode’s death. It instead sets out conduct expectations for interactions among students, faculty and staff, including restrictions on communication that may amount to harassment or bullying.
Student protests have continued, while Wakode’s parents have been observing a hunger strike at Azad Maidan and demanding action and accountability from the institute administration. A delegation of students and other representatives had earlier submitted a letter to the director and expressed a lack of confidence in the internal inquiry committee, according to reports cited in the source material.
The institute’s next steps include continuing its student-welfare measures and engaging with students as demonstrations and demands for institutional accountability continue.
