IIT Bombay student suicide: Director to resign amid caste row, protests

Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18

A 22-year-old IIT Bombay student died by suicide in his hostel room on September 18 evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. The incident has triggered protests on the campus after the student's parents alleged that their son faced caste discriminated.

 

Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room in Hostel Number 4 on the Powai campus, the police said. 

In a statement earlier, IIT Bombay said Wakode was found using a mobile phone during an examination earlier that day and had allegedly uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.

 

 

The case has since been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch for investigation.

 

What happened on September 18

 

Wakode, who hailed from Yavatmal, Maharashtra, was appearing for a mid-semester examination from 11 am to 1 pm when he was allegedly found using a smartphone without authorisation.

 

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum said the examination was being invigilated by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who, after finding Wakode with the phone, reported the matter to the institute authorities in accordance with the prescribed procedure.

 

The Faculty Forum described the alleged use of the phone as “academic malpractice” and said Doolla was “merely discharging his academic duties” and following institute-approved procedures.

 

Meanwhile, IIT Bombay said the course instructor and the Head of the Department discussed the matter with Wakode and counselled him. The institute said he was assured that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career and that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. 

Later that evening, Wakode was found dead in his hostel room.

 

The police said no suicide note was recovered from the spot. The Powai police initially registered an accidental death report and sent the body for post-mortem examination.  

Family alleges caste discrimination; professor named in FIR

 

Wakode's parents subsequently approached the police on Saturday, September 19, alleging that their son had been subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination before his death.

 

Based on their complaint, the Powai police registered a case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide, along with relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

 

Professor Doolla, who was invigilating the exam on Friday, has been named as an accused in the case. Police subsequently transferred the investigation to the Mumbai Crime Branch, which is handling the probe through the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Detection).

 

No arrests have been made so far, and the investigation is continuing.

 

IIT Bombay has denied the caste-based discrimination allegation, saying no complaint regarding caste discrimination had been submitted by Wakode to the institute's SC/ST cell or administration.

 

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has publicly backed Doolla, saying he followed the institute's approved procedure after discovering the alleged examination malpractice. 

However, in a post on X on Monday, IIT Bombay apologised for statements in its earlier communication about the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death. The institute said the details and circumstances leading up to the incident remained subject to investigation and that it was “inappropriate” to set out or characterise details about the events preceding his death before they had been established through the appropriate investigative process.

 

Students demand accountability and institutional changes

 

Wakode's death has triggered a broader protest on the IIT Bombay campus, with students demanding accountability and changes to the institute's academic and student-welfare systems. 

After three days of a sit-in near the campus main gate, the administration agreed to take forward an 18-point charter submitted by the protesting students. The institute's director, Prof Shireesh Kedare, has said he will resign on Monday, but noted he must follow the process. Kedare told protesters late Sunday night, "I will resign; however, I have to follow the process and will convey my decision after a meeting on Monday." He signed the document after meeting with the protesters.

 

One of the key demands concerns action against Doolla. The charter also calls for an independent investigation into Wakode's death, with students seeking an interim report by September 30 and a final report by October 15.

 

Wakode's death is the third reported case of suicide at the IIT Bombay campus in seven months. A second-year student died by suicide in a hostel in February, while a 20-year-old second-year BTech student died by suicide in July at the beginning of the new semester.