Ravindra Wakode’s video message, recorded in front of a small group of students, urged them to preserve any evidence related to their son’s death and to start a hunger strike on Monday at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan after police denied him campus entry.
The video arrives a week after students staged a candlelight march from the campus main gate to Hostel 4, marking the 18th September death of 20‑year‑old Sahil Wakode. They demanded the reconstitution of the 10‑member inquiry panel, citing bias in its current composition.
Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, who has been named in a police FIR alleging caste discrimination and abetment to suicide, is among those the students want relieved of duties until the investigation concludes. Director Shireesh Kedare has also been called to resign by the student body.
‘Whatever happened inside the campus must come out in the open,’ Ravindra said, eyeing the camera with a grim resolve. He added that he would continue fighting for justice even if it costs him his life, and urged students not to trust police statements blindly.
The hunger strike will begin on Monday, with students expected to join, while the institute’s board faces mounting pressure to overhaul its inquiry committee. The next week will see whether IIT Bombay can address the demands before further unrest escalates.