13 October,2026 07:44 AM IST | Mumbai | Aditi Alurkar
Students join Sahil Wakode’s parents at Azad Maidan on the 11th day of their protest, demanding accountability for his death. Pics/Ashish Raje
On Monday, Sahil Wakode's parents marked the 11th day of their daily protest at Azad Maidan, sitting from noon to 6 pm. Students from the All India Students' Association (AISA) and other organisations joined them in solidarity.
Several students supporting Wakode have also been on a hunger strike inside the campus, which entered its 11th day on Monday, with nearly 30 students participating.
Sahil's mother, Sonali Wakode, said she was in no condition to speak when approached for comment.
Deepali Salve, general secretary of the All India Independent Scheduled Castes Association (AIISCA)
âThe groups in support of Sahil's parents will stage a protest at Azad Maidan on October 16'
Following the death of Wakode, the student body at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay staged a campus-wide protest, putting forth 18 demands. After a town hall with the IITB administration, the protest was rolled back, while a faction of students continues a hunger strike on campus.
The protests began after 20-year-old IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode was found dead in his hostel room. He was allegedly caught cheating during a mid-semester exam earlier that morning. The circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation.
His parents and students are demanding the immediate arrest of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla and IITB Director Dr Shireesh Kedare. Students are also seeking a new committee to probe the death, alleging possible bias towards faculty.
[popcorn number="30" desc="Approx. no. of students on a hunger strike on campus" class="Default"]
IIT Bombay announced reforms to student wellness and examination procedures over the weekend. However, the changes have failed to satisfy the protesters. The students have sought a dialogue with the administration, provided the internal committee probing Sahil's death is scrapped and replaced with an independent external committee.
IIT Bombay students appeared for their mid-semester exams over the weekend after they were postponed following protests over Wakode's death. The exams were conducted under revised standard operating procedures (SOPs), under which students caught cheating would be given a fresh answer booklet.
According to IIT-B students, the institute has also begun distributing forms for invigilators involved in such incidents to fill out. Students will be given an optional form to explain their side of the story. The institute has also reportedly told students of their plans to recruit new on-campus counsellors to strengthen student wellness services.
In a social media post
"There is no word on accountability, no apology for the institute's first statement linking Sahil to cheating, and no mention of Sahil's family. Every measure is "being formed", "underway" or "being explored"; none has a date, members or terms of reference. And a student's death cannot be answered with wellbeing apps and extended delivery hours, both of which appear in the same email. We need the names, the dates, the terms of reference, and the will to change what is breaking students. Until then, we will continue with our peaceful protest and hunger strike."
