IIT Bombay Student Suicide and Protest: Professor Booked For Abetment and Caste Discrimination

Key Points

A SECOND-YEAR STUDENT from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay committed suicide after he was caught cheating in exam. On Friday, September 18, 2026, the 19-year-old student  — identified as Sahil Wakode from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering — was found dead in his hostel room hours after he smuggled his mobile phone inside the examination hall and uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to ask for answers. 

His parents alleged that Sahil was subjected to discrimination because of his caste. Based upon the complaint filed by his father Ravindra on Saturday, September 19, 2026, the Mumbai Police registered an registered an FIR naming Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, among others, on charges of abetment to suicide (BNS Section 108) and sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

Ravindra's complaint alleged that his son has been subjected to discrimination owing to his caste at the hands of Professor Doolla for the past three months. Ravindra further alleged that it was IIT Bombay director, Professor Shireesh Kerade, who had instructed Doolla to do so.

IIT Bombay Caught Using ChatGPT In Exam, Later Dies by Suicide

As per an official statement from IIT Bombay, no disciplinary action was taken against Sahil for cheating in the exam, and the matter was resolved with internal communication. The student was further assured this incident would not have any impact on his academic career, the statement continued. The student subsequently returned back to his room located in IIT Bombay’s hostel no. 4, where he was discovered dead later on Friday evening.

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“Earlier in the day, during an examination, the student was found using a mobile phone in the exam hall. He had uploaded the examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. No disciplinary action was initiated against the student. The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. The student subsequently returned to his hostel room. Later in the evening, he was found dead in his room,” the institute’s statement said. 

Powai Police stated to The Indian Express that the student’s exam ended at 4pm on Friday, after which he returned back to his hostel room. He was discovered dead in his room later in the evening. The body was sent to Rajawadi Hospital in Mumbai for the post-mortem examination.

IIT Bombay Erupts in Protest After Student’s Suicide

As the incident came to light and fellow IIT Bombay students got to know about the suicide, protests erupted inside campus. A crowd of around 400 students gathered outside near the main building of the institute and shouted slogans against the administration, arguing that they were not revealing the complete truth about the student’s suicide. 

Continued protest by the students prompted IIT Bombay director, Professor Shireesh Kedare, to come out and meet with the students at around 10.30PM on Friday night. Protesting students stated that the ongoing mid-semester examinations in the college have been postponed in the light of this tragic incident. On Saturday night, the protest intensified as students held a candlelight march and demanded the resignation of Director Kerade.

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One student protestor, speaking to The Indian Express, remarked that the administration continues to function even after a tragic incident like suicide, leading many to question this behavior. “Students have always had one complaint with the administration that it continues functioning as it is, even after a serious incident like suicide. Tonight, many questioned this behaviour, following which it was declared that the mid-semester exam is now postponed,” the student said.

Some students even alleged that the student was threatened with a one-year suspension which prompted him to take this extreme step, though this claim remains unverifiable.

On Sunday, September 20, 2026, IIT Bombay Director Professor held a meeting with the student protestors wherein 18 points were presented to the administration. The demands were accepted, with "due process to be followed," a institute official stated to the Times of India.

IIT Bombay's Third Suicide in Seven Months

An official statement issued by the administration expressed sorrow about the student’s death and remarked that the concerned authorities are looking into the matter. “IIT Bombay is deeply saddened by the loss of a student. The Institute is extending support to the student’s friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident. The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities,” the statement read.

This marks the third reported case of suicide in IIT Bombay’s Powai campus in the past seven months. In February, a second-year student in died by suicide. In July 2026, at the beginning of the new semester, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student died by suicide in the same hostel.

(This is an updated version of the article)

(Edited by Agniva Ray)

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