IIT Bombay Student's Family Demands Arrests in Caste Discrimination Suicide Case
Parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode demand arrest of professors named in FIR under Atrocities Act; institute withdraws cheating claim and apologises.
The family of a 22-year-old IIT Bombay student who died by suicide last week has demanded the immediate arrest of two faculty members named in a First Information Report (FIR) registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Sahil Wakode, a second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering from Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his hostel room on the Powai campus on September 18. He had last met his parents on September 13 and, a few days later, called them to say he was being subjected to caste slurs and discrimination.
His father, Ravindra Wakode, advised him to be patient and focus on his future. "We spoke over the phone. He was crying and saying he was being tortured in the name of casteism. I tried to calm him down, telling him to ignore it as his future would be bright, and we moved on. But then I learned he had died by suicide. Since he had named the individuals responsible, I filed a case against them under the Atrocities Act. An FIR has been registered," he said.
On Tuesday, Sahil's parents, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, visited the Mumbai Crime Branch to press for the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and Shireesh Kedare. "We have all the evidence, so why are they not arresting them?" Ravindra Wakode asked.
The FIR names Doolla and alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination. The case was transferred to the Crime Branch on September 19 following widespread student protests on campus. On Monday, IIT Bombay removed Doolla as dean of Administrative Affairs.
Separately, hundreds of students staged a demonstration on the institute's campus on Tuesday in support of Doolla.
On Monday, the institute withdrew its earlier claim that Sahil had cheated in an exam using ChatGPT, a statement that had linked his death to the allegation. In a post on X, IIT Bombay apologised, saying the details and circumstances leading up to the incident remained subject to investigation. It added that it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised events preceding his demise before they were duly established through the appropriate investigative process.
Sahil's father pointed to the retraction, asking what more proof was needed. "They accuse him of cheating and later apologise, saying no such cheating actually took place. What are we supposed to make of this?" he said.
IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Professor Rajkumar S Pant said the institute has a functional SC/ST Cell for students from the concerned communities to raise complaints and grievances, but Sahil had not approached the cell with any allegation against any professor.