IIT Mumbai suicide: Late student’s parents go on hunger strike, mid-semester exam postponed over claims of caste discrimination | Today’s news

The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, whose alleged suicide led to accusations of caste discrimination, began a hunger strike on Thursday to crack down on their son’s “torturers” as the institute postponed mid-semester exams amid controversy and reissued an apology for an earlier statement.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sahil’s parents and assured them all of help in their fight for justice for their son, party sources said.

IIT Bombay Exam Postponed

The institute has postponed the mid-semester exams scheduled for September 26-27 to October 10-11, an official said. She also apologized again for her earlier communication suggesting that Sahil had died by suicide hours after he was allegedly caught using ChatGPT in the exam.

Hunger Strike: What are the requirements?

Sahil’s parents Ravindra and Sonali Wakode started a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai.

“Those who tortured my son should be put behind bars. He told us that he repeatedly faced caste discrimination in the institution,” Ravindra said.

The couple had earlier met the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in the city and submitted a memorandum seeking a speedy probe into their son’s death.

The police detained the Congress leader

Police detained Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, several of her party workers and NSUI activists who had gathered outside IIT Bombay to express solidarity with Sahil’s family. Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib demanded the immediate arrest of the director of IIT Bombay and another professor.

MP Gaikwad accused the ruling establishment of damaging the education system and called Sahil’s death an “institutional murder”. She demanded a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances of his death.

Students face humiliation and hardship, especially if they belong to a particular caste or religion, she told reporters.

“This is not the first such incident at IITs. We want accountability,” Gaikwad said, accusing the RSS of “infiltrating” colleges. “BJP and RSS have damaged the education system and such incidents are happening repeatedly,” she said.

Sahil, 22, a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18.

Varsha Gaikwad, other Congress workers and members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the party’s student wing, gathered outside the institute’s Powai campus on Thursday to stage a protest. The police detained the Congress workers before their protest could begin and later also took Gaikwad into custody when they reached the spot.

Rahul Gandhi spoke to the Wakode parents and assured support in their fight for justice, she said. According to Gaikwad, Gandhi made a video call to Wakode’s parents when they were on their way to Mumbai from Washim district.

In the nearly 17-minute call, Gandhi assured Sahil’s parents that he was with them and assured them all of help, she said.

In a post on X IIT Bombay, he said, “Re-sharing an earlier post dated 21 September 2026: We apologize for the statements contained in our earlier communication regarding the circumstances of Sahil’s unfortunate demise.

“The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation by the appropriate authorities. Due to the ongoing investigation, it was not appropriate to provide or characterize details regarding the events leading up to his death until they have been properly established through the appropriate investigative process,” it said.

The Mumbai Police Crime Squad is investigating Sahil’s death.

Faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, named in the FIR alleging aiding and abetting suicide on the basis of caste discrimination, has been sent on leave to allow an impartial investigation into the case.

Some TV channels aired CCTV footage from the exam hall that captured Sahil’s movements before the professor approached him and led him away from the hall after he was allegedly caught copying. However, there was no word from the police on the issue.

Meanwhile, an email allegedly sent in 2024 by Professor Doolla, then Dean of Student Affairs, is circulating on social media.

In an email, Prof Doolla warned students not to ask classmates about their admission categories, JEE (Advanced) ranks or GATE scores as such questions could reveal their caste or whether they belonged to a reserved category.