IIT-Bombay student death: Parents allege he faced casteist abuse, demand arrest of faculty member
The parents of 22-year-old Sahil Wakode says that when they visited him earlier this month, he had told them he was being ‘tortured’ and that casteist slurs were hurled at him
A 22-year-old Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay student, Sahil Wakode, was discovered dead in his hostel room on September 18, 2026. His parents, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, have demanded the arrest of a faculty member, Suryanarayana Doolla, and the institute's director, alleging that their son faced casteist abuse and threats.
The students' father, Ravindra Wakode, filed a first information report (FIR) with the Powai police, alleging that Doolla used casteist slurs against his son for three months and threatened to implicate him in false cases. The son's mother, Sonali Wakode, said her son had told them about the alleged harassment after their visit on September 13.
The student had studied at IIT-Bombay's Department of Energy Science and Engineering up to Class 12 in his hometown of Yavatmal before joining the institute. The institute's administration stated that Sahil Wakode was caught using ChatGPT in an examination, with CCTV footage showing his removal from the classroom and subsequent entry into his hostel.
The Crime Branch team conducted a search of the hostel room and collected CCTV footage and other materials. Meanwhile, activists from the Republican Party of India (A) and Bharat Mukti Morcha protested outside the IIT-Bombay main gate, demanding justice for the deceased student and the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
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