States » WestPosted at: Sep 22 2026 5:59PM


Protesters detained outside IIT Bombay over student suicide

Mumbai, Sept 22 (UNI) Police on Tuesday detained dozens of activists belonging to the RPI A and Bharat Mukti Morcha after they staged a protest outside the main gate of IIT Bombay over the alleged death by suicide of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode, an official said. This was the second day of protests with Youth Congress activists staging a demonstration near the campus gate on Monday.
The protesters carried placards and raised slogans demanding justice for Wakode and sought the resignation of Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. A senior police official said activists of the Bharat Mukti Morcha had gathered outside the main campus gate without permission and were taken into preventive custody and brought to Powai police station for further legal proceedings.
Shortly afterwards, workers of the Ramdas Athawale-led Republican Party of India A also assembled near the gate and raised slogans in support of Wakode. Police personnel moved in to clear the area and detained them as well, the official said. Security was subsequently heightened around the campus in view of the protests.
Meanwhile, students on the campus expressed differing views on the ongoing agitation. Utkarsh Gangwar, a mechanical engineering student at IIT Bombay, dismissed allegations of institutional prejudice while acknowledging that some students had grievances against certain faculty members.
He said there was no caste-based discrimination against students at IIT Bombay, but claimed that some students were unhappy with Professor Suryanarayana Doolla because his strict rules occasionally caused discomfort.
Gangwar also said the ongoing protests outside the institute were no longer required because the institute director had already accepted 18 key demands put forward by students. He claimed that those continuing to protest could be influenced by external political groups.
Wakode, a 22-year-old second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging in his hostel room on the Powai campus on the evening of September 18, according to officials. The incident occurred hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to upload questions to access ChatGPT for answers during a mid-semester examination.
The institute on Monday removed Doolla as dean of Administrative Affairs following protests by students and political activists over Wakode's death. A case of alleged abetment and caste discrimination was subsequently registered against him.
Mumbai Police have booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act and Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide, following a complaint lodged by Wakode's family.
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