25 September,2026 07:49 AM IST | Mumbai | Aditi Alurkar
Sonali Wakode and Ravindra Wakode at the Azad Maidan during the hunger strike. PICS/ASHISH RAJE
The parents of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-Bombay) student Sahil Wakode, whose alleged suicide has led to accusations of caste discrimination and sparked protests, on Thursday evening began a hunger strike at Azad Maidan demanding justice for their son.
[popcorn number="Sept 18" desc="Day Sahil allegedly died by suicide" class="Default"]
Earlier in the day, Ravindra Wakode and Sonali Wakode were detained by the police while on their way to IIT-Bombay to launch the indefinite hunger strike.
Sahil Wakode's mother Sonali Wakode gets out of the car
Following their detention, they were taken to Bhandup police station and held for about an hour before being released and were subsequently taken to Sahyadri Guest House in Walkeshwar to meet officials of the SC/ST Commission where the couple met the chairman of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, and submitted a memorandum, seeking speedy investigation into their son's death.
In the meeting, the family and their lawyers raised issues of the alleged leakage of the CCTV footage, which they believe mischaracterised their son. The parents have now asked for a separate inquiry into the matter while requesting further preservation of the other forensic material. After the meeting, the parents later reached Azad Maidan and began their hunger strike.
Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad at the protest site along with NSUI members. PIC/X/@INCBhavna
Following a protest by Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad and NSUI, heavy security was deployed outside IIT-Bombay on Thursday, resulting in the detention of several protesters, including Gaikwad. DCP Datta Nalawade and local ACPs were present to supervise arrangements during the protest. In the meantime, the students from the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle also took to social media to once again ask for the resignation of the IIT-B director while claiming that the current list of student demands that were aired in an open meeting were diluted.
In the meantime, the institute postponed the mid-semester examinations scheduled for September 26-27 to October 10-11. The institute is also expected to set new guidelines for examinations too.
The development comes amid the ongoing Crime Branch investigation into Sahil's death. Police are now examining CCTV footage, recording statements of students ,and trying to access Sahil's locked iPhone, which they believe could contain information about his activity before his death. His laptop has also been seized and sent for forensic examination.
Police are now planning to conduct a panchanama of the examination-hall footage and include it in the case. They are also examining whether Sahil had told his friends about the alleged casteist remarks.
On September 18, 22-year-old Sahil was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access an AI platform (ChatGPT) during an examination when the invigilator asked him to leave the exam hall. Hours after being reprimanded for academic misconduct, Sahil was allegedly found dead by hanging in his hostel room. The incident triggered campus protests, a police investigation into caste discrimination, and an examination malpractice controversy.
