Dalit student at IIT Bombay commits suicide; father says a professor used to make ‘casteist’ comments about his son

DCP Dattatreya Nalawade of Mumbai Police stated that a case has been registered under sections of abetment to suicide, the SC/ST Act, and other relevant sections, and an investigation is underway against all individuals named by the family.

Mumbai – Following the suicide of a second-year student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay’s Powai campus on Friday evening, his family has leveled serious allegations of caste discrimination and institutional harassment. The deceased student has been identified as Sahil Ravindra Wakode (22), a resident of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district and a second-year B.Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay. Sahil belonged to the Scheduled Caste community, and his classmates describe him as a very hardworking student who had achieved an 8.5 CGPA in his first year.

An FIR has been registered at the Powai police station in this case, which has been charged under the SC/ST Act following allegations from family members, and the investigation has now been transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch. This is reported to be the third suicide case reported on the IIT Bombay campus this year.

Sahil was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room in Hostel No. 4 on Friday evening. When his roommates received no response, they informed the administration, which then called the police. No suicide note was recovered from the scene, and the police initially reported the case as an accidental death.

According to the IIT Bombay administration, Sahil was caught using a mobile phone in the examination hall on the day of the incident and attempted to find answers by uploading the question paper to ChatGPT. The institute also clarified that no disciplinary action was initiated against the student following the incident. The institute stated that Sahil was assured that the incident would not impact his academic future. The institute has pledged support to Sahil’s friends, classmates, teachers, and others affected by the incident. It also stated that the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.

According to students, Sahil was asked to leave the hall after an alleged confrontation during an exam and was reprimanded by a professor in the corridor. About an hour after this alleged confrontation, Sahil hanged himself in his hostel room, and his body was recovered around 6 p.m.

Sahil’s mother, Sonali Wakode, spoke to the media on Saturday, directly alleging that her son had been subjected to caste-based harassment and torture. She also alleged that he had been assaulted and demanded justice.

Sahil’s father, Ravindra Wakode (47), alleged that for the past few months, Professor Suryanarayan Dulla of the Department of Energy Sciences had been making caste-based remarks and mentally harassing his son. The father demanded the professor’s immediate arrest and a Crime Branch investigation into the matter. However, all these allegations are still under investigation and have not been independently verified. The father also claimed that the professor threatened to implicate Sahil in a false case.

Following the family’s complaint, a case has been registered at the Powai police station under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

DCP Dattatreya Nalawade of Mumbai Police stated that the case has been registered under sections of abetment to suicide and other relevant sections, and an investigation is underway against all the individuals named by the family.

The family initially refused to accept Sahil’s body, but later accepted it when the case was handed over to the Crime Branch on Saturday night. An ACP-rank officer will now lead the investigation.

Protests on Campus

As news of the death spread, a large number of students gathered, surrounded the office of Director Shirish Kedare, and demanded the resignation of both the Director and Professor Dulla. The students also blocked the main gate of the institute, prompting police to arrive. By late evening, approximately 400 students had gathered, and by midnight, the number had grown to over a thousand.

A third-year electrical student said during the protest that this was the third such incident at IIT Bombay this year and the second in the last two months. Students are demanding accountability and transparency from the administration. Another student described the incident as shocking, saying, “It feels like one of us has been left behind. The situation is still management versus students, but first, we should remember the soul that left us.” Union Minister of State Raksha Khadse, reacting to the incident, said that the government will conduct a thorough investigation and ensure appropriate action.

The Darshan Solanki Case Recalls

This is not the first time allegations of caste discrimination have surfaced at IIT Bombay. In February 2023, first-year B.Tech student Darshan Solanki jumped to his death from the seventh floor of his hostel, and his family had also alleged caste discrimination. According to Solanki’s mother’s statement, recorded in the police chargesheet, Darshan had told his mother that his fellow students’ behavior had changed when they learned about his caste.

This incident marks the third student suicide at IIT Bombay in six months, raising serious questions about student mental health at higher education institutions nationwide. Between October 2022 and October 2025, 154,046 college students aged 18-25 called the Tele-Manas helpline, of which approximately 4%, or 5,642, were related to suicide-related concerns. The Supreme Court has also underscored the severity of this crisis, with 13,044 student suicides recorded in 2022 alone, representing 7.6% of the total suicides that year.

Geetha Sunil Pillai

Courtesy: Hindi News