IIT-Bombay Student Death: Parents Allege He Faced Casteist Abuse

The parents of Sahil Wakode have demanded the arrest of faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla and the director of IIT Bombay, alleging that the 22-year-old student had been threatened and subjected to casteist abuse before he was found dead in his hostel room.

Sahil Wakode, a second-year Bachelor of Technology student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was found dead on Friday (September 18, 2026).

The Powai police registered a first information report the next day under charges including abetment of suicide and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The FIR was filed on the basis of a complaint by Sahil’s father, Ravindra Wakode, and named faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla.

The investigation was subsequently handed over to the Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch.

Parents allege casteist abuse and threats

Addressing a press conference on Tuesday (September 22, 2026), Ravindra Wakode said his son had told him that Mr. Doolla allegedly used casteist slurs against him for three months.

Mr. Wakode also said Sahil had told him that the faculty member threatened to implicate him in false cases.

According to the father, Sahil further alleged that the faculty member was acting on the instructions of the director of the institute.

The parents have demanded the arrest of both the faculty member and the institute’s director over the allegations.

Sahil’s mother, Sonali Wakode, said that on September 18 she received a call from IIT asking her to come to the institute.

After some time, the Powai police called and told her that her son had died by suicide.

The police asked her to come to Mumbai, and the family reached there on the morning of September 19, said Ms. Wakode, a schoolteacher.

The family lives in Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district.

Sahil Wakode studied up to Class 12 in Yavatmal before joining the Department of Energy Science in IIT-Bombay.

September 13 visit and mother’s account

According to Ms. Wakode, the family had visited Sahil on September 13, when he told them about the alleged harassment that he was facing.

She said Sahil had told them during that visit that he was being “tortured” and that he was 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.

Ms. Wakode also said the family had tried to support him mentally when he spoke about what 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 that justice is done.

Institute’s account and CCTV footage

The institution’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 happening.

The footage shows Mr. Doolla asking him some questions and then taking him to one side, away from other students.

After this, Wakode was seen outside the examination hall and subsequently entering his hostel at around 1:25 p.m.

Later, he was found dead in his room.

The administration’s claim about ChatGPT, the CCTV sequence described in the source material, and the parents’ allegations now form part of the publicly known accounts surrounding the death.

Crime Branch searches hostel room

On Monday (September 21, 2026), a Crime Branch team searched Wakode’s hostel room and conducted a panchnama.

Officials said no note has been recovered.

Officials also said that no one has been summoned in the investigation.

In the initial days of the probe, the Crime Branch team will collect documents from the police in Powai, where the FIR was initially registered, an official said.

The official added that the team has seized CCTV footage and other materials.

The handover to the Crime Branch is significant because the FIR includes abetment of suicide charges and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, while the student’s parents have publicly alleged casteist abuse and threats.

The case also includes competing accounts now on record: the family’s allegations of harassment and casteist slurs, and the institution’s statement that Sahil Wakode was caught using ChatGPT in an examination.

No note has been recovered, and officials have said no one has been summoned so far in the investigation.

Protests outside IIT-Bombay gate

Meanwhile, the police on Tuesday detained dozens of activists belonging to the Republican Party of India (A) and Bharat Mukti Morcha after they staged a protest outside the IIT-Bombay main gate over Wakode’s death, an official said.

The protesters carried placards and shouted slogans, demanding justice for the deceased student.

They also 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.

The officer said they were immediately removed from the spot, 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.

The protests reflected the public attention around the death after the registration of the FIR, the transfer of the investigation to the Crime Branch, and the family’s allegations of casteist abuse.

Helplines

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.

Source: The Hindu