Mumbai, Sep 24 Police on Thursday detained Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, several workers of her party and NSUI activists gathered outside IIT Bombay to express solidarity with the family of student Sahil Wakode, whose death has sparked off protests at the campus.
The institute reissued its apology for statements contained in its earlier communication, which indicated that Sahil died by suicide hours after allegedly using ChatGPT in an exam.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sahil’s parents and assured them all help in their fight to seek justice for their son, party sources said.
Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib demanded the immediate arrest of IIT Bombay director and another professor in connection with Sahil’s death and sought an “impartial probe” into the case.
Gaikwad accused the ruling establishment of harming the education system and termed Sahil’s death an “institutional murder.” She demanded a comprehensive probe into the circumstances surrounding his death.
Students face humiliation and difficulties, especially if they belong to a particular caste or religion, she told reporters.
“This is not the first incident at IIT. We want accountability,” she said and accused the RSS of “infiltrating” higher education institutions. “The BJP and RSS have damaged the education system, and such incidents are happening repeatedly,” she added.
Sahil, 22, a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18 evening.
His parents have alleged caste-based discrimination and harassment, while the institute has disputed the charges.
His father Ravindra said that they were on their way to meet the National Commission for Scheduled Castes in Mumbai but were prevented from doing so by police in Bhandup area.
Gaikwad, other Congress workers and members of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the party’s students’ wing, gathered outside the institute’s Powai campus on Thursday to stage a protest.
Police detained Congress workers before their protest could begin outside the institute’s Powai campus and later also took Gaikwad into custody when she reached the spot.
Rahul Gandhi spoke to Wakode’s parents and assured support in their fight for justice, she said.
Gandhi made a video call to Wakode’s parents when they were on their way to Mumbai from Washim district.
In the almost 17-minute call, Gandhi assured Sahil’s parents that he was with them and assured them all help.
In a post on X on Thursday, IIT Bombay said, “Sharing the earlier post of 21st Sept 2026 again: We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil.
“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,” it said.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is conducting a probe into the Sahil’s death.
Faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, named in the FIR, which alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination, has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe into the case.
Some TV channels aired CCTV footage from the examination hall that captured Sahil’s movements before a professor approaches him and leads him away from the hall after he was allegedly caught copying.
However, there was no word from the police on this issue.
(PTI News)
