{
  "id": 9251534,
  "title": "IIT-Bombay student death: Parents allege he faced casteist abuse, demand arrest of faculty member",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/23/iit-bombay-student-death-parents-allege-he-faced-casteist-abuse",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-23T02:45:12.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/iit-bombay-student-representatives-say-protest-not-a-defence-of-misconduct-parents-allege-caste-harassment/article71494304.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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",
  "key_points": [
    "22-year-old IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode found dead in hostel room on 18 September 2026",
    "Parents Ravindra and Sonali Wakode demand arrest of faculty member Suryanarayana Doolla",
    "Allegations of casteist abuse and threats against Sahil Wakode for three months"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The allegations of casteist abuse and threats against a faculty member mark a serious escalation of the campus harassment issue, potentially changing the institute's administrative accountability.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}