IIT Mumbai faculty member booked for caste abuse and suicide

Police personnel stand guard as students protest after the death of a 22-year-old IIT Bombay student at the Powai campus in Mumbai on September 19, 2026. | Photo credit: PTI

Mumbai Police on Saturday (September 19, 2026) arrested IIT Mumbai faculty member Suryanarayan Dulla on charges of caste abuse and inciting suicide, a day after a 22-year-old student was found dead in his hostel room.

The student, Sahil Wakode, was in his second year of BTech Energy Science. In a statement, IIT Bombay said he died by suicide after allegedly being caught using a mobile phone during an examination.

The police filed a first information report on Saturday (September 19, 2026) on the complaint of the student’s father, Chakradhar Wakode. Mr. Dulla, who works in the Department of Energy Sciences, has been booked under various sections of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and incitement to suicide charges.

“When I was studying Sahil in my second year, when I met him, he told me that for the last three months, on the instructions of Principal Shri Shireesh B. Kedare, a faculty member, Suryanarayan Dulla, was abusing him using caste terms. Mr. Dulla told him that he was from a ‘lower caste’ and he (Mr. Haras Dulla) could deceive him in any case. After that, I provided him mental support,” Mr. Chakradhar said in the FIR.

Apart from Mr Dulla, Mr Chakradhar mentioned “other senior officers” in his complaint.

In its initial condolence statement, IIT Bombay said Sahil had uploaded a third semester written exam question on ChatGPT to seek answers. Based on the statement of a student who was also present in the same building during the exam, Mr. Dulla grabbed Sahil and allegedly threatened to expel him. Mr. Dulla also told him to attend a meeting the next day about the incident, the student said. Sahil immediately left the examination hall and was later found dead in his room in hostel number 4 on campus.

The student said a high-stress environment prevailed at IIT Bombay, which is among India’s top institutes of technology. “This is the second suicide in hostel four in the last few months,” the student said in a phone interview.

**EDS: THIRD PARTY IMAGE** In this image received on September 19, 2026, students stage a protest after a 22-year-old student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mumbai committed suicide in his hostel room after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone during an examination in Mumbai. (Background via PTI Photo)(PTI09_19_2026_000145B) | Photo credit:-

Students erupted in protest after the incident. The resignation of the director of IIT Bombay is one of their demands, said a student who is among the protesters. Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.

(Help to overcome suicidal thoughts is available on the state health line 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha on the suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).

Published – 19 Sep 2026 22:29 IST