IIT-Bombay student death: Parents begin hunger strike at Azad Maidan

Parents of IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode, whose death has sparked off protests at the institute’s campus, on Thursday (September 24, 2026) began a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai, seeking action against their son’s ‘tormentors’.

“Those who tortured my son should be put behind bars. He had told us that he repeatedly faced caste discrimination at the institute,” Sahil’s father Mr. Ravindra said.

Mr. Ravindra and his wife Sonali met the National Commission for Scheduled Castes chairman in Mumbai and submitted a memorandum, seeking speedy investigation into their son’s death.

Sahil, a second-year B. Tech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 evening, hours after he was allegedly found using ChatGPT in an examination hall.