IIT-Bombay student death: Parents begin hunger strike at Azad Maidan; institute defers mid-semester exams

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Sahil’s father Ravindra said those who tortured the IIT-Bombay student should be put behind bars. | Photo Credit: Emmanual Yogini

Parents of Sahil Wakode staged a sit-in at Azad Maidan on Thursday (September 24, 2026). They demanded the arrest of a faculty member. They sought a fast-track investigation into the death of their son at IIT Bombay.

Ravindra Wakode and Sonali Wakode gathered at the protest site. He noted that his son led a team of 50 students in AI and robotics. “You can ask anyone. They will tell you how good a human Sahil was. Do you think such a student can do this? The investigation should be fast-tracked.”

A CCTV clip purportedly from an IIT Bombay examination hall has gone viral amid a widening dispute over the events that preceded second-year student Sahil Wakode’s death on September 18.

The footage has surfaced as the Mumbai Police Crime Branch reconstructs Wakode’s movements on the day of his death. His family has alleged caste-based harassment, while the institute has constituted a 10-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the case.

The viral clip bears a timestamp of 12.37 p.m. on September 18 and shows a student seated in the front row leaving the examination hall while others continue writing their test. Social media accounts have identified the student as Wakode. However, his identity cannot be independently established from the clip.

IIT Bombay postponed examinations scheduled for September 26 and 27 to October 10 and 11. The institute issued an apology. The apology concerned statements in a communication about the circumstances of the death. IIT Bombay disputed charges of discrimination.

Police detained Varsha Gaikwad at afternoon, Member of Parliament, and workers of the NSUI and Youth Congress outside the campus. Gaikwad termed the incident an “institutional murder.” She demanded a probe. She accused the RSS of “infiltrating” institutions. “This is not the first incident at IIT. We want accountability,” she said. She rejected the classification of the death as a suicide. She described it as a death caused by casteism and communalism. She cited discrimination based on caste. She invoked rights granted by the Constitution. “The Constitution of this country grants me the right to speak! I am a citizen! The Constitution gives me this right!” She mentioned a video. She sought the truth to come out in public. She criticized appointments to posts of Vice-Chancellors and administration.

In the afternoon, police detained Ravindra Wakode in Bhandup. He was on his way to the campus in Powai to begin a strike. Police took the parents to meet the SC/ST Commission in South Mumbai. Advocate Nikhil Kamble said, “Today, Sahil’s family was on their way to IIT Bombay to stage a hunger strike. Unfortunately, my clients have again been detained by Mumbai Police. They are not being allowed to go to IIT Bombay to stage the hunger strike. I believe they need to be provided legal protection rather than being detained.”

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