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IIT Bombay student suicide sparks investigation into caste discrimination
A 22-year-old student at IIT Bombay, Sahil Wakode, died by suicide in his hostel room on September 18, 2026, hours after being caught using a smartphone to upload an exam paper to ChatGPT. While the institute maintains that no disciplinary action was taken and that the student was counselled, protesting students allege he was threatened with a one-year suspension.
Following a formal complaint by the student's parents, the Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and other officials. The charges include abetment to suicide under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, and violations of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The family alleges that Wakode had been subjected to caste-based discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members for several months.
The investigation has been transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. In response to student protests and a three-day sit-in, IIT Bombay Director Prof. Shireesh Kedare signed an 18-point charter of demands, which includes calls for an independent probe into the death and broader reforms to student welfare and disciplinary frameworks. The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has expressed solidarity with Prof. Doolla, stating he followed institutional protocols regarding academic malpractice.
Entities
ChatGPT · Dattatray Nalawade · IIT Bombay · Mumbai · Mumbai Police · Powai · Ravindra Wakode · Sahil Wakode · Satyanarayan Dalla · Shireesh Kedare · Suryanarayan Dulla · Suryanarayana Doolla
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 33 SOURCES] The institute stated that no disciplinary action had been initiated against the student following the incident. theobserverpost.com · pragativadi.com · www.aajsamaaj.com · assamtribune.com · www.vikatan.com · +13 more
- [● 10 SOURCES] Police and institute authorities are investigating the circumstances of the death. theobserverpost.com · indtoday.com · www.mangalorean.com · pragativadi.com
- [● 33 SOURCES] The student died by suicide in his hostel room on Friday evening. theobserverpost.com · pragativadi.com · www.aajsamaaj.com · assamtribune.com · www.vikatan.com · +13 more
- [● 30 SOURCES] Students held protests on the IIT Bombay campus demanding accountability and transparency from the administration. theobserverpost.com · indtoday.com · pragativadi.com · www.aajsamaaj.com · assamtribune.com · +10 more
- [● 33 SOURCES] A second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay was caught using a mobile phone to upload an exam question paper to ChatGPT during an examination. theobserverpost.com · pragativadi.com · www.aajsamaaj.com · assamtribune.com · www.vikatan.com · +13 more
- [● 24 SOURCES] Protesting students claim this is the fourth suicide at the campus this year and the second within the last two months. theobserverpost.com · assamtribune.com · indtoday.com · www.mangalorean.com · pragativadi.com · +8 more
- [● 4 SOURCES] Mumbai Police has filed an accidental death report (ADR) regarding the student's death. www.mangalorean.com · www.nationalheraldindia.com · eisamay.com · navbharatlive.com
- [● 3 SOURCES] A district court in West Midnapore ordered five days of CID custody for the arrested individuals.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The deposits occurred between 2018 and 2021 into an account registered to the West Bengal Trinamool Youth Congress.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sumit Roy stated that T. Ghosh, the treasurer for MP Abhishek Banerjee, provided the funds for deposit on the MP's instructions.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The investigation involves an illegal land-grabbing case in Salboni involving the sale of government land using forged documents.
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sumit Roy deposited approximately Rs 7 crore into a Trinamool party account.