IIT Bombay Holds Talks With Protesters Over 18 Demands Amid Campus Suicide Controversy

A standoff appears to be developing at IIT Bombay following the death by suicide of 22-year-old student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, with protesting students and the institute administration taking differing positions over the circumstances surrounding his death.

Wakode, a second-year BTech student from Yavatmal in Maharashtra, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday. The incident reportedly occurred hours after he was allegedly found using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

The incident has since triggered protests on campus, with students and the student’s family raising allegations of institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination. The allegations have not been established.

IIT Bombay Holds Talks With Protesters

Amid the growing protests, the IIT Bombay administration held a meeting with protesting students on Sunday night to discuss their 18-point list of demands.

The demands include greater student representation in academic committees, an independent investigation into four cases of suicide on the campus and mental health workshops for faculty members, among other issues.

An official response to the demands is expected on Monday, according to people familiar with the developments.

Despite the meeting, protesters have announced plans to gather at the institute’s main gate under the banner of ‘India Against Casteism’. They have also raised concerns about previous student deaths that they allege were linked to caste-based discrimination.

‘We are not here to die’ has emerged as one of the slogans of the protest.

Faculty Forum Defends Exam Invigilator

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has expressed solidarity with exam invigilator Suryanarayana Doolla, saying he acted according to the institute’s prescribed procedure after allegedly finding Wakode in possession of and using an unauthorised smartphone during the examination.

The forum also expressed condolences to Wakode’s family and said the professor had only carried out his academic responsibilities by reporting the alleged examination violation to the concerned authorities.

It further raised concern over statements directed at the professor, saying they had affected him deeply.

Family Alleges Caste Discrimination

Wakode’s family and protesters have alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination at IIT Bombay. The student’s parents have filed a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, alleging discrimination.

The allegations are now part of the broader dispute between the protesting students and the institute administration as calls grow for an independent examination of the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death and other student deaths on the campus.