20 September,2026 07:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Aishwarya Iyer
Around 400 students are said to have gathered for the protest held late Friday night. PIC/SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Amid a day filled with protests and chaos after the alleged suicide of a 19-year-old IIT Bombay student, Mumbai Police have invoked provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the FIR, following allegations of caste-based discrimination raised by the student's family.
Powai police have also registered a case of abetment of suicide. Police officials said the FIR was registered on Saturday following a complaint by the student's father, who has accused that his son faced caste-based discrimination at the institute. Police said a case has been registered against those named, and their alleged roles are being investigated.
The death occurred late on Friday. Protests held by students alleging caste discrimination carried over to Saturday. Speaking to Sunday mid-day, the grief-stricken mother of the student could only say, "My son was tortured. I want justice. We have complained to the police."
IIT-B students have alleged that this is the fourth death at the institute in this year alone
In a video posted on the Instagram page @chain_mera_fail_hai, the student's father is seen giving interviews to media persons in Marathi. "Until we receive justice for our son, we will not move from here, even if it means that our body will have to be taken out," said the parents, who were camped outside the campus. "He was our only son; we are people who have come up from poverty, and our son was not the kind who would commit suicide," added the father.
They refused to leave the institute's gate on Saturday morning. Police personnel took them to Powai police station, where they registered the FIR and the parents made preliminary statements. However, their extensive statements are yet to be recorded, officials confirmed.
While students made a multitude of demands, sources inform that the students tried to consolidate their asks. "The protests will be continuing as of now. We have asked for changes in the policy-level decisions and better handling of students, open dialogue; some have even asked for resignations," said a campus resident.
One student who was part of the protest said of the deceased student, "He was a strong-willed boy. He's not somebody who would give up so easily. So this incident is truly shocking."
The deceased, a student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was reportedly found using a mobile phone during an examination on Friday. According to IIT-B, he had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. The exam was scheduled until 4 pm, following which the student returned to his hostel room. Later that evening, he was found dead in his room. Police subsequently began an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death, and the body was sent for post-mortem examination.
The police case was registered amid protests by students on the IIT Bombay campus. Students questioned the institute's handling of the examination incident and demanded an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death. They also raised concerns over mental health support, disciplinary procedures, and student welfare. The mid-semester examinations scheduled for Saturday were postponed following the protests. More than 400 students had gathered on campus during the initial protest on Friday.
Police sources told this paper that the student's family has alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination and what they described as institutional torture. The allegations are now part of the wider concerns raised by the family. However, IIT Bombay's SC/ST Students and Staff Cell has said that no complaint relating to caste-based discrimination was lodged by the student with them.
With the abetment case now registered, police are examining the events surrounding the examination incident, the interactions with the student afterwards, and the allegations made by the family. The role, if any, of those named in the complaint will be established during the investigation.
The SC/ST Students and Staff Cell affirms that no complaint relating to caste-based discrimination was lodged by the deceased with the Cell. "The Cell remains committed to the welfare and well-being of SC/ST students and staff and will appropriately address any matter relating to caste-based discrimination that is brought to its attention," it stated.
âThe institute expresses its deep and heartfelt condolences to the student's family, kith and kin. No disciplinary action had been initiated against the student. The matter was discussed with him by the instructor and Head of Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. The institute has maintained that the circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities.'
The Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) of IIT Bombay, on their Instagram handle, said: "Several media reports have alleged that the student was apprehended for using a mobile phone and ChatGPT to upload the question Paper. The exact act of this is not yet fully known. Hence, hasty narratives serve only to misrepresent the circumstances and diminish the severity of the institutional failures that led to this tragedy."
The protests at the Indian Institute of Bombay continued into the second day on Saturday. "We held a candle march for the deceased student, and the protest kept going throughout the day. We plan to protest tomorrow [Sunday] as well and even on Monday, depending on the communication we receive from the officials," said a third-year BTech student on the condition of anonymity.
