Archive · 2 Oct 2026
IIT Bombay Students Intensify Protest Over Sahil Wakode’s Death
Students at IIT Bombay are protesting after Sahil Wakode died on September 18.
Reports say he was found dead in his hostel room after allegedly being caught cheating in an exam.
His family says he faced caste-based discrimination.
The students want an outside group to investigate what happened.
They also want changes to the institute’s investigation committee.
They are asking the institute director to resign and Professor Suryanarayana Doolla to be suspended while the investigation continues.
The students began a hunger strike after protesting for about two weeks.
Sahil’s parents are also on hunger strike in Mumbai, and the police are investigating the case.
IIT Bombay students began a hunger strike on Friday after 14–15 days of campus protests over Sahil Wakode’s death.
Wakode, a second-year student, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 after allegedly being caught cheating in an exam.
Students submitted an 18-point charter seeking an external investigation, changes to the inquiry committee, and accountability from institute officials.
They demanded Director Shireesh Kedare’s resignation and Professor Suryanarayana Doolla’s suspension pending the criminal investigation.
Wakode’s parents continued their hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan while the Mumbai Crime Branch investigated the circumstances of his death.
- Who
- IIT Bombay students, Sahil Wakode’s parents, institute officials, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, and the Mumbai Crime Branch.
- What
- Students began a hunger strike and submitted demands for an external inquiry and accountability over Wakode’s death.
- When
- The hunger strike began on Friday, identified in one report as October 2; students had protested for 14–15 days beforehand, and Wakode died on September 18.
- Where
- The student protest took place at IIT Bombay; Wakode’s parents protested at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan.
- Why
- Students and Wakode’s family are seeking an impartial investigation and action over alleged caste-based discrimination and the institute’s handling of the case.
Students and Wakode’s Family
Faculty Forum and Institute Position
Investigation panel
Students and Wakode’s Family
Students say the internal committee may be biased because some members allegedly supported Professor Doolla, and they want an independent external panel with no current IIT Bombay employees or students.
Faculty Forum and Institute Position
The Faculty Forum defended Doolla, while six teachers asked that the forum’s statements not be treated as representing the entire faculty and called for an impartial, time-bound inquiry.
Action against Professor Doolla
Students and Wakode’s Family
Students demand Doolla’s suspension from all responsibilities until the criminal investigation ends, and Wakode’s parents are seeking his arrest.
Faculty Forum and Institute Position
The Faculty Forum issued statements defending Doolla’s conduct while the case remained under investigation.
Institute accountability
Students and Wakode’s Family
Students demand Director Shireesh Kedare’s resignation and accuse the administration of inaction, unfulfilled assurances, and attempts to intimidate protesters.
Faculty Forum and Institute Position
The reports do not provide a detailed response from the institute administration to the students’ allegations; the administration’s internal inquiry remains a point of dispute.
- Student
- Sahil Wakode, a second-year IIT Bombay student
- Date of death
- September 18
- Protest duration
- Reports describe 14 or 15 days of protests before the hunger strike
- Student demands
- An 18-point charter seeking an external inquiry, committee changes, accountability, and protester protections
- Institute officials named
- Director Shireesh Kedare and Professor Suryanarayana Doolla
- Parents’ protest site
- Azad Maidan, Mumbai
- Investigation
- The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the circumstances of Wakode’s death
