The father of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who allegedly died by suicide, was denied permission to continue his protest at Azad Maidan, prompting him to plan a visit to the Institute’s Powai campus, his lawyer said on Saturday (October 3, 2026).

The development comes at a time when a group of IIT Bombay students intensified their ongoing agitation over Sahil’s death by launching a hunger strike on Friday (October 2, 2026) to demand accountability from the Institute administration.

According to the family lawyer, the police did not permit Ravindra Wakode to stage a protest at Azad Maidan and he was planning to go to IIT Bombay.

The Wakode couple had launched a hunger strike last week seeking “justice” for their deceased son and demanding the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare.

Sahil Wakode, a 22-year-old second-year B.Tech student, was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. His parents have alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination at the Institute.

An FIR was registered by the Powai police against Professor Doolla after Ravindra Wakode lodged a complaint.

On Thursday (October 1, 2026), the Crime Branch, which is probing the case, questioned Professor Doolla for nearly 10 hours and recorded his statement. Police have recorded statements of around 40 people, including Sahil’s parents, fellow students and IIT hostel staff, while electronic devices belonging to the deceased student have been sent for forensic examination, according to reports.

The Mumbai Police late on Saturday (September 19, 2026) transferred the probe into the death of a second-year student at IIT-Bombay to the Crime Branch, saying an officer of the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police will lead the investigation.

On Sunday (September 20, 2026), the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay expressed condolences to the family of the student but stood by Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in the FIR along with other institute officials. The forum said Mr. Doolla discharged his duties in line with academic policies approved by the institute’s Senate.

Referring to the incident during an examination that allegedly led to the death, the forum said Mr. Doolla reported the incident as part of the institute-approved procedure and said it was “absolutely distressed” at the damage done to his reputation.

The student, Sahil, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday (September 18, 2026) after Mr. Doolla reported him for possessing a phone during the examination. The professor was invigilating the exam. Reports said Sahil had uploaded the question paper on an AI platform.

Sahil’s family said he was subjected to casteist remarks. His father, Ravindra, said in the FIR that his son had told him that Mr. Doolla had harassed him for three months. The family did not file a complaint with the institute at that time. The FIR has invoked the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The family and some students said that on the day of the examination, officials took Sahil out of the hall and threatened him with suspension.

IIT-Bombay, however, said that no disciplinary action was initiated against the student, adding that officials counselled Sahil and assured him that the incident would not affect his academic career.

Institute director Shireesh Kedare denied caste-based discrimination and said that caste-related information about the students remains confidential and is not available to faculty or administrators. The institute’s SC/ST cell said it did not receive a complaint from Sahil regarding caste-based discrimination.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).