'Told Him To Bear It': IIT Bombay Student's Parents Say He Told Them About Caste Abuse

The parents of Sahil Wakode, the 22-year-old IIT Bombay student found dead in his hostel room on September 18, said on Tuesday that he had told them about caste discrimination earlier as well by the professor now named in the FIR related to his suicide. "I told him it's difficult to secure admission in IIT, and told him to bear it," said the father, Ravindra Wakode.

"We as parents gave mental support to our child. Is that a mistake?" the mother, Sonali Wakode, said, demanding the immediate arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla.

"Doolla used to do caste discrimination against my son. My son had earlier communicated about this discrimination, but I told him it's difficult to secure admission in IIT, and told him to bear it," the father said. He also named IIT Bombay director Shireeh Kedare as another person who "tortured" Sahil.

The father further alleged that the family was not informed promptly about the death, while his body was sent to a government hospital. "The IIT administration is involved in destroying crucial evidence," he said.

Professor Suryanarayana Doolla was the invigilator when Sahil Wwkode was allegedly caught cheating in an exam.

According to IIT Bombay officials, Sahil was caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. The institute said in a statement initially that he had allegedly uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. It said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him. It later apologised for the statements and said, "The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process."

Doolla was invigilating the exam when Sahil was allegedly caught with a mobile phone. The institute's faculty forum has backed him.

A student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at the elite institute, Sahil was later found dead in his room at Hostel Number 4 on the campus in Mumbai's Powai last Friday.

VIDEO | Mumbai: Ravindra Wakode, father of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who died by suicide, says, "...Everything is written in the FIR. The accused should be questioned and arrested. Only after the arrest will everything come out...Whatever is written in the FIR is the… pic.twitter.com/kdmgHzl2uR

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 22, 2026

The Powai Police registered an FIR on the complaint of Sahil's parents under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide, and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the student was a Dalit. Police had first registered an accidental death report because no suicide note was found, and widened the case after the family's complaint.

Also Read: No Evidence Of Professor's Role In IIT Student's Suicide, Say Sources On Initial Probe

In his complaint, Ravindra Wakode accused Professor Suryanarayana Doolla of the Energy Science Department of the institute of making "casteist remarks" against his son and threatening to implicate him in a case.

"Only after the arrests will everything come out," the father said on Tuesday. "My son was a bright student. Cracking the JEE Advanced is not an ordinary achievement... They may make all kinds of false allegations and say that he cheated his way into cracking JEE Advanced. They may say anything and try to divert the matter. My only demand is that the accused be arrested."

VIDEO | Mumbai: Sonali Wakode, mother of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who died by suicide, says, "I am a mother and a teacher. I have lost my child, and only a mother can understand how much pain I am going through. Please consider him your own child and ensure that he gets… pic.twitter.com/rrDGshjPLO

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 22, 2026

Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade said several people, including Doolla, had been named in the complaint and that their roles would be investigated. The case is currently being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch under the supervision of the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Detection). The Crime Branch is expected to summon the professor and other witnesses for questioning.

Director Kedare has denied the allegations of caste-based discrimination. The institute has said Sahil did not file a caste-discrimination complaint with either its SC/ST Cell or the administration.

Sahil's grandmother, Shyamlata Tayade, earlier told NDTV the family wanted a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) inquiry into his death. "Our demand is that the teachers and those responsible at the college should receive the strictest punishment. There should be a CBI inquiry," she said.

IIT Bombay has removed Doolla from the post of Dean (Administrative Affairs).

Students protesting on campus have claimed that Sahil was under severe pressure and had faced threats of suspension. Sahil's death is the third reported suicide at IIT Bombay in seven months. A second-year student died by suicide in a hostel in February, and a 20-year-old second-year BTech student died by suicide in July. A total of 171 students died by suicide at IITs across the country between 2006 and 2026.