The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who died by suicide earlier this month, staged a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Monday (September 28, 2026) demanding the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in the FIR registered in connection with their son’s death.

Ravindra and Sonali Wakode began their protest at 10 a.m. and continued until around 6.30 p.m. They have now sought permission from the Azad Maidan police to resume their agitation from 9 a.m. on Tuesday.

In a handwritten application submitted to the senior police inspector of Azad Maidan police station on Monday (September 28, 2026), advocate Nikhil Kamble, representing the family, sought permission for Ravindra Wakode to continue the protest on September 29, demanding justice for Sahil and Doolla’s arrest.

The family also questioned IIT Bombay’s internal inquiry into Sahil’s death, alleging that none of the members of the institute-appointed committee has contacted them so far.

IIT Bombay constituted a 10-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death. The panel, which was initially given a week to complete its inquiry, has since been granted a one-week extension. A section of students has also raised objections to the composition of the committee and sought its reconstitution.

Sahil, a second-year BTech student in IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly found with a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. Doolla was the course instructor and was invigilating the examination.

Following Sahil’s death, his parents alleged that he had faced caste-based discrimination and harassment at the institute. Police subsequently registered an FIR against Doolla containing allegations of abetment to suicide and offences under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The allegations are under investigation.

IIT Bombay has meanwhile relieved Doolla of his administrative responsibilities and sent him on leave pending the inquiries. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, has been recording statements and examining CCTV footage and other digital evidence.

Monday’s agitation was not the family’s first protest at Azad Maidan. The Wakodes had staged a hunger strike there last week after they were prevented from protesting outside the IIT Bombay campus. They had temporarily called off that agitation while warning that they would resume it if no arrest was made.

IIT Bombay has initiated the replacement of ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans after the recent death of second year B-Tech student Sahil Wakode, sources familiar with the development said.

Sahil, a Department of Energy Science and Engineering student hailing from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, was found dead in his hostel room on the Powai campus on Friday (September 18, 2026) evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

“The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Bombay) is set to remove ceiling fans from hostels following recent incidents of student deaths,” the sources said. “Wall-mounted fans will be installed across all hostels on campus and in other utility areas across the campus.”

The image of a batch of wall-mounted fans arriving at the campus as part of ‘renovation work’ has gone viral on social media.

NCP (SP) spokesperson Anish Gawande criticised the move, saying fan replacement cannot solve the student suicide crisis. Mr. Gawande questioned whether replacing ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans could address the larger issue of student suicides, and called for greater focus on suicide prevention and mental health support.

“Does IIT Bombay really think that replacing ceiling fans with wall fans will solve the problem affecting IITs across the country?” Gawande said.

The institute had discussed the move to replace the fans after a student died in July, and the issue gained renewed attention after Sahil’s death last week.

Gawande said more than 117 students had died at IITs over the last 20 years.

Amidst ongoing student unrest, the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay on Monday (September 21, 2026) issued an apology for its earlier statements “concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil.”

The apology, made in a post on X, comes as the Mumbai Police has transferred the probe into the death of a second-year student at IIT-Bombay to the Crime Branch.

The student, Sahil, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday (September 18, 2026) after a professor had reported him for possessing a phone during the examination. The professor, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the exam, has been named in the FIR along with other institute officials. 

In an initial statement on Saturday (September 19, 2026), just after reports emerged about the Sahil’s demise, the institute had said that “the student was found using a mobile phone in the exam hall. He had uploaded the examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers.”

“No disciplinary action was initiated against the student. The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor, the faculty advisor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career,” the institute had further said in the statement.

Sahil’s family, however, has 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.

Now, apologising for their earlier statement, IIT-Bombay said it has deemed it inappropriate to “have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his [Sahil’s] demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process.”

“The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation,” it said today (September 21, 2026).

The institute also took to social media to deny any reports surrounding the Director’s resignation. “Director IIT Bombay has NOT resigned. We categorically state that the related news is false,” it said.

(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).