15 October,2026 08:24 AM IST | Mumbai | Aditi Alurkar
Sahil’s parents and other supporters resume their hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Day 13. Pic/Ashish Raje
Around 40-50 protesters gathered outside IIT Bombay's main gate on Wednesday afternoon as part of the "Chalo IIT Bombay" protest, continuing demonstrations over the death of a 20-year-old student.
The group assembled around 12.55 pm and raised slogans, following which the police detained around 25-30 protesters. Meanwhile, Sahil's parents, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, continued their strike at Azad Maidan.
Sahil Wakode, a BTech IIT Bombay student was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an exam and was found dead in his hostel room hours later.
popcorn number="25-30" desc="No. of protesters detained by police" class="Default"]
A campus resident claimed that an informal, student-led Google form was allegedly circulating among the IIT-B groups, gathering opinion on the protest continued by the other faction of students and whether they wanted these ongoing protests cleared. "It is a forward and we don't know the extent of its circulation," they said.
According to Tejas Anoop, a member of the Aamchi Padhai Aamchi Ladhai group, police vans and officers were already present both inside the campus and outside the IIT gate. "Within minutes we were dragged to the Powai police station, during which we suffered injuries," he said. Anoop said the protesters were detained at the Powai police station for 30 to 40 minutes before being released. Subsequently, a six-member delegation entered the IIT Bombay campus with the police to submit a letter to Director Shireesh Kedare.
The demands included the formation of an external committee to investigate the death of Sahil, who allegedly died by suicide on September 18. The group has asked the institute to clarify that the evidence so far does not establish that Sahil was cheating. The protesters further urged the institute to condemn individuals and forums propagating this narrative and also demanded an apology from the director for allegedly endorsing the faculty forum's call during the open house. An official from the IIT Bombay clarified that the investigation is still being handled by the board of governors and the IIT Bombay is not interfering with it.
Anoop said, "We spoke with the director, outlining our demands. While we did not receive any satisfactory answers, we told the director that we have lost faith in the internal committee." In the letter, the protesters alleged that IIT Bombay had not followed due "institute procedures". Citing CCTV footage, they claimed Sahil was escorted from his examination room at 12.38 pm.
