IIT-Bombay student's parents allege casteist abuse, seek arrests
Parents of a 22-year-old IIT-Bombay student found dead in his hostel room allege he faced casteist slurs and threats, and demand arrests.
The parents of a 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, who was found dead in his hostel room last week, have demanded the arrest of a faculty member and the institute's director, alleging that their son was threatened and subjected to casteist abuse.
Sahil Wakode, a second-year Bachelor of Technology student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead on Friday, September 18, 2026. The following day, the Powai police registered a first information report on charges including abetment of suicide and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The FIR, based on a complaint by the student's father, Ravindra Wakode, named faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla. The investigation was later transferred to the Mumbai Police's Crime Branch.
Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, September 22, Mr. Wakode said his son had told him that Mr. Doolla had allegedly used casteist slurs against him over three months and had threatened to implicate him in false cases. According to the father, his son also alleged that the faculty member was acting on the instructions of the institute's director.
The student's mother, Sonali Wakode, said she received a call from IIT on September 18 asking her to come to the institute. Some time later, the Powai police called to inform her that her son had died by suicide and asked the family to travel to Mumbai. They reached the city on the morning of September 19, said Ms. Wakode, a schoolteacher.
The family lives in Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, where Sahil studied up to Class 12 before joining the Department of Energy Science at IIT-Bombay.
A visit on September 13
According to Ms. Wakode, the family visited their son on September 13, when he told them about the alleged harassment he was facing.
"Please give justice to my son. Please ensure justice for the atrocities committed against him. Why is it that Dalit students are the ones committing suicide? We supported him mentally, telling him, 'Your future is bright, son; just endure this.' That was our mistake. If we had taken him away that day, my child would be alive today," she said.
She expressed confidence that the Crime Branch would ensure justice and said that during their visit her son had told them he was being "tortured" and facing casteist slurs. "We offered him moral support. That was a mistake on our part. I earnestly request you to ensure my child gets justice," she said.
The institute's administration has said that Sahil Wakode was caught using ChatGPT in an examination. CCTV footage shows the student being taken out of the classroom where the exam was being held, with Mr. Doolla seen asking him some questions and then taking him aside, away from other students. Wakode was later seen outside the examination hall and entering his hostel at around 1:25 p.m. He was subsequently found dead in his room.
On Monday, September 21, a Crime Branch team searched Wakode's hostel room and conducted a panchnama. Officials said no note has been recovered and that no one has been summoned in the investigation so far. In the initial days of the probe, the team will collect documents from the Powai police, where the FIR was first registered, an official said, adding that CCTV footage and other materials have been seized.
Protests and detentions
On Tuesday, the police detained dozens of activists belonging to the Republican Party of India (A) and the Bharat Mukti Morcha after they staged a protest outside the IIT-Bombay main gate over Wakode's death, an official said. The protesters, carrying placards and shouting slogans, demanded justice for the deceased student and sought the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
A senior police officer said protesters from the Bharat Mukti Morcha gathered outside the main campus gate without permission and were immediately removed, taken into preventive custody and brought to the Powai police station for further legal proceedings. Shortly after, workers of the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India (A) also assembled near the gate, shouting slogans in support of Wakode. Police personnel moved in swiftly to clear the area and detained them as well, the officer said.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State's health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416 and Sneha's suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)