The death of 20-year-old Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a second-year BTech student in IIT Bombay’s Energy Science and Engineering department, has led to an FIR against a professor and others after his family alleged that he faced caste-based harassment and mental pressure for around three months.
Mumbai Police have invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act along with Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), concerning abetment of suicide. The case has now been transferred to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, with an ACP-rank officer assigned to investigate.
The FIR names Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, who was reportedly the invigilator during the examination Sahil attended shortly before his death, along with other officials. Sahil’s father, Ravindra Wakode, has alleged that his son told him about casteist remarks, harassment and threats over several months, and has sought action against those responsible.
IIT Bombay, however, has denied caste-based discrimination and said Sahil had not filed any complaint with its SC/ST Students and Staff Cell or administration.
The institute has also denied that Sahil faced disciplinary action after he was found using a mobile phone during an examination, saying he was counselled and assured that the incident would not affect his academic career. Students have disputed aspects of the institute’s account and demanded an independent investigation.
Family Raises Caste Harassment Allegations
Sahil, who hailed from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, was found dead in his hostel room on the Powai campus on September 18, hours after he was reportedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination. According to IIT Bombay, Sahil had uploaded the examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers.
The institute said the matter was subsequently discussed with him by the course instructor and Head of Department, who counselled him and assured him that it would not adversely affect his academic career. IIT Bombay has maintained that no disciplinary action was initiated against him.
The circumstances surrounding the examination have nevertheless become a key part of the investigation. Some students and Sahil’s family alleged that he had been threatened with suspension after being caught with the phone.
Students protesting on campus claimed that a suspension could have affected his hostel accommodation and studies. IIT Bombay has rejected that account, saying no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated.
Its director, Professor Shireesh B Kedare, has also denied caste discrimination at the institute, saying caste-related information about students is confidential and not available to faculty in a manner that would facilitate such discrimination. “And there is absolutely none in this case,” Kedare said while responding to the allegation.
Sahil’s father has given a substantially different account of the period preceding his son’s death. According to the complaint forming the basis of the FIR, Ravindra alleged that Sahil had told him that Professor Doolla subjected him to caste-based harassment and casteist remarks for around three months after he entered his second year.
The complaint further alleges that Doolla threatened Sahil with being implicated in a false case because of his caste and that the alleged conduct was carried out at the direction of Director Kedare. These allegations have not been independently established, and neither the alleged remarks nor the director’s purported involvement has been established by a court or investigation.
Police Probe Moves To Crime Branch
Powai Police initially registered an accidental-death report following Sahil’s death. Police said no suicide note was found. After his parents approached the authorities with allegations of harassment and caste-based discrimination, an FIR was registered under the relevant provisions of the BNS and the SC/ST Act.
DCP Dutt Nalawade said several people named in the complaint had been booked and that the allegations would be investigated “from all angles”.
The investigation was subsequently transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch, with an ACP-rank officer assigned to the case. Professor Doolla has been named in the FIR in connection with the abetment allegation, while other accused have been referred to in the FIR as senior or concerned officials.
The invocation of the SC/ST Act reflects the nature of the allegations made by the family; it does not, by itself, establish that the alleged caste-based offences occurred. The police investigation will have to establish whether the allegations are supported by evidence and whether any conduct had a legally relevant connection with Sahil’s death.
The family’s response has also highlighted the depth of their demand for accountability. Sahil’s parents initially refused to claim his body from Rajawadi Hospital’s post-mortem centre, with his father saying he would not conduct the final rites until action was taken against those he held responsible.
The family later accepted the body after police assured them that the investigation had been transferred to the Crime Branch. Ravindra has called for a thorough investigation, while the family’s lawyer has sought a speedy probe and action under the SC/ST Act.
The incident has meanwhile sparked protests at IIT Bombay, with students demanding greater transparency, an independent inquiry and accountability from the administration. Students have also raised concerns about mental-health support and the handling of disciplinary matters on campus.
IIT Bombay has said it will fully cooperate with authorities and has urged people not to speculate while the investigation is underway. The institute has also said it is providing support to Sahil’s friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected by the death.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Sahil Wakode’s death calls for empathy first and assumptions second. Whether the allegations of caste-based harassment are ultimately substantiated, every student deserves an environment where concerns can be raised safely, disciplinary processes are transparent and grievances are heard without fear.
At the same time, allegations as serious as caste discrimination and abetment to suicide must be established through a fair, independent and evidence-based investigation rather than through competing narratives on social media. IIT Bombay’s denial, the family’s allegations and the concerns raised by students all need to be examined carefully, without prejudging the outcome.
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