IIT-Bombay Student Death: Maharashtra Congress Leaders Meet Sahil Wakode’s Family

Maharashtra Congress in-charge Sirivella Prasad and state Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal met Wakode’s family at the Shanti Ashram and discussed the circumstances surrounding his death and the family’s concerns. AICC secretary B.M. Sandeep, Rehana Chishti, U.B. Venkatesh and Mumbai Congress president and MP Varsha Gaikwad were among those present.

The meeting came two days after Mumbai Congress Youth president Zeenat Shabrin also met the family.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had earlier spoken with Wakode’s parents and assured them of support in their efforts to seek justice. Gaikwad subsequently met Wakode’s father, Ravindra, at Azad Maidan after he began a protest demanding action in connection with his son’s death.

Wakode, a second-year BTech student at IIT-Bombay, died by suicide on September 18. His family has alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination and harassment from Professor Suryanarayana Doolla. Police subsequently registered a case involving abetment to suicide and provisions of the SC/ST Act, and the investigation was transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch.

The Crime Branch has been examining the events surrounding an examination on the day of Wakode’s death. Investigators have questioned students and other people who may have information about what happened in the examination hall and afterwards. More than 40 statements had been recorded by September 30, according to police.

CCTV footage from the examination hall is also part of the investigation. Reports based on the footage say Doolla was seen asking Wakode to leave the examination hall after an apparent incident involving a mobile phone. The exact circumstances and sequence of events remain under investigation.

Recent reporting has also raised questions about the procedure followed after the examination incident. Wakode reportedly wrote an apology after leaving the hall, while IIT-Bombay's published disciplinary rules do not specifically provide for such an apology and instead prescribe a formal process for examining allegations of academic malpractice.

Doolla has denied the allegations against him. IIT-Bombay had earlier removed him from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs while allowing him to continue as a professor, amid protests following Wakode’s death.

The case has also prompted disagreement within the institute. While the IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum publicly expressed support for Doolla and said he was carrying out his professional responsibilities, six faculty members subsequently urged the forum to withdraw statements that they felt did not sufficiently acknowledge the concerns of Wakode’s family.

The family has maintained that Wakode had told them about alleged discrimination before his death. Police are continuing to examine CCTV footage, witness statements and other evidence to establish the circumstances leading up to the student's death.

The investigation remains ongoing, and the allegations against individuals involved in the case have not been established by a court.