Parents of IIT-B student who died by suicide begin hunger strike; exams postponed

The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode on Thursday began a hunger strike in Mumbai, demanding action against those they hold responsible for their son's death, which has triggered allegations of caste discrimination at the institute. As the controversy grew, the institute postponed its mid-semester examinations and reissued an apology over an earlier statement on the circumstances surrounding his death.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has spoken to Sahil's parents and assured them of help in their fight for justice, party sources said.

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is probing the case, while faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, who has been named in the FIR alleging abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination, has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial inquiry.Sahil, 22, a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18. His parents, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, began their hunger strike at Azad Maidan after meeting the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in Mumbai and submitting a memorandum seeking a speedy investigation."

Those who tortured my son should be put behind bars. He had told us that he repeatedly faced caste discrimination at the institute," Ravindra said.The institute said the mid-semester examinations scheduled for September 26 and 27 had been postponed to October 10 and 11. In a post on X, IIT Bombay said, "Sharing the earlier post of 21st Sept 2026 again: We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil."

It added, "The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process." The earlier communication had indicated that Sahil died by suicide hours after he was allegedly caught using ChatGPT in an exam.Outside the institute's Powai campus, Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, other party workers and NSUI activists gathered to express solidarity with Sahil's family, but police detained them before the protest could begin and later also took Gaikwad into custody.Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib demanded the immediate arrest of the IIT Bombay director and another professor.

Gaikwad termed Sahil's death an "institutional murder" and called for a comprehensive probe.She said students face humiliation and difficulties, especially if they belong to a particular caste or religion. "This is not the first such incident at IIT. We want accountability," Gaikwad said. She also alleged that the BJP and RSS had damaged the education system and that such incidents were happening repeatedly.Gaikwad said Rahul Gandhi made a video call to Sahil's parents when they were travelling to Mumbai from Washim district.

In the nearly 17-minute conversation, Gandhi told them he stood with them and assured them of all help, she said.Meanwhile, some television channels aired CCTV footage from the examination hall showing Sahil's movements before a professor approached him and led him away after he was allegedly caught copying, though there was no word from the police on this issue.An email purportedly sent in 2024 by Prof Doolla, then Dean of Student Affairs, also circulated on social media, in which he cautioned students against asking others about their admission categories, JEE (Advanced) ranks or GATE scores as such questions could reveal their caste or whether they belonged to a reserved category.The case has led to protests, political reactions and fresh scrutiny of IIT Bombay's handling of the matter.

With Sahil's parents on hunger strike, the institute postponing exams and the Crime Branch continuing its investigation, the demand for answers and accountability remains at the centre of the controversy.- Ends