Student suicide: Cong MP, NSUI activists held; IIT Bombay reiterates apology

• IIT-Bombay apologised again for earlier remarks linking Sahil Wakode’s death to an exam incident, saying the circumstances remain under investigation.

• Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad and party and NSUI workers were detained during a protest outside the institute, while Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sahil’s parents and assured them support.

• Mumbai Police Crime Branch is probing the death, with a faculty member named in the FIR sent on leave; Sahil’s parents have alleged caste-based discrimination and harassment.

Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, party workers and NSUI activists were detained by police on Thursday, 24 September during a protest outside IIT-Bombay, as they sought justice for student Sahil Wakode, whose death has triggered protests on the campus.

The protest came as IIT-Bombay issued a fresh apology for statements in an earlier communication that appeared to link Sahil's death to an examination incident involving the alleged use of ChatGPT. The institute said the circumstances surrounding his death remained under investigation and that it was inappropriate to characterise events preceding his death before they had been established through due process.

'Sharing the earlier post of 21st Sept 2026 again: We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil,' the institute said in a post on X.

'The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities,' it added, saying that setting out or characterising details relating to events preceding his death before they were established through an investigation had been inappropriate.

Sahil (22), a second-year BTech student, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of 18 September. His parents have alleged caste-based discrimination and harassment, charges disputed by the institute.

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is investigating the death. Faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, who has been named in an FIR alleging abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination, has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe.

Congress's Gaikwad accused the government of damaging the education system and described Sahil's death as an "institutional murder". She demanded a comprehensive investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

"Students face humiliation and difficulties, especially if they belong to a particular caste or religion," she told reporters. "This is not the first incident at IIT. We want accountability," she added, accusing the RSS of "infiltrating" higher education institutions. "The BJP and RSS have damaged the education system, and such incidents are happening repeatedly."

Police detained Congress workers before the protest could begin outside IIT Bombay's Powai campus and later took Gaikwad into custody after she reached the spot.

Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib demanded the immediate arrest of the IIT Bombay director and another professor, and called for an "impartial probe" into Sahil's death.

Meanwhile, Congress sources said Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sahil's parents and assured them of support in their fight for justice. Gandhi reportedly made a video call to the family while they were travelling to Mumbai from Washim district. The call lasted nearly 17 minutes, during which he assured them that he stood with them and would provide all possible assistance.

Sahil's father, Ravindra, said the family was travelling to meet the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in Mumbai but was stopped by police in the Bhandup area.

Separately, some television channels aired CCTV footage purportedly showing Sahil's movements inside the examination hall before a professor approached him and led him out after he was allegedly caught copying. Police have not commented on the footage or the circumstances surrounding the examination incident.

The institute's earlier communication had linked Sahil's death to the alleged use of ChatGPT during the examination. Its latest statement has sought to withdraw that characterisation pending the ongoing investigation.

With PTI inputs