Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a second‑year BTech student at IIT Bombay, was discovered dead in his hostel room on Friday after investigators linked the incident to a mid‑semester exam in which he was caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT.
Yatish Kumar, a close friend from the aerospace engineering department, told NDTV that he had seen Wakode as a "fun, happy guy" just days before the exam and that nothing indicated a crisis.
Wakode’s parents have filed a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, accusing the institute of caste‑based harassment that led to his death.
IIT Bombay issued an apology for earlier communication, denied rumours that Director Shirish Kedar would resign, and said it would review the case.
Students have staged sit‑ins and demanded student representation on academic committees, an independent inquiry into four suicide cases, and mental‑health workshops for faculty.
The university will convene a disciplinary panel and the court is set to hear the SC/ST Act filing next month.