Father of Deceased IIT Bombay Student Plans Hunger Strike Demanding Accountability

Ravindra Wakode, father of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, says he will begin an indefinite sit-in and fast at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, seeking accountability for his son’s alleged suicide. Wakode’s parents allege caste discrimination at the institute; Sahil was found dead in his hostel room after he was reportedly caught accessing ChatGPT during an exam. Mumbai police are investigating the alleged abetment to suicide, and IIT Bombay has formed a 10-member inquiry committee. A professor named in the police complaint has been placed on leave, while students have called for the committee to be reconstituted, citing concerns about its impartiality.
Wakode said he would continue protesting even if arrested, insisting that his son receive justice “constitutionally” and invoking the legacies of Chhatrapati Shivaji, Phule, Shahu and Ambedkar.
Sahil Wakode was 22 and in his second year; he was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18.
Before announcing the new protest, his parents had staged a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Thursday.
Students’ unions at other leading institutes also backed the Wakode family and called for a transparent investigation and action against those responsible for his death.
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