Ravindra Wakode sat down on the ground at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on Monday, beginning a hunger strike that he vowed would continue until justice is served for his son. "I do not care, even if I get arrested," he told a regional news channel on Sunday, refusing to back down from what he describes as a constitutional fight. His son, Sahil Wakode, a second-year student, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, 2024. The death occurred hours after security allegedly caught him using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. The tragedy has ignited a bitter controversy within the institute's walls.
The Wakode family alleges that caste discrimination played a role in the student's distress. They had already staged a hunger strike at the same location on Thursday. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is currently investigating the case under charges of abetment to suicide. In a move to facilitate an impartial probe, the IIT Bombay board placed Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, a faculty member named in the police FIR, on leave. Doolla is accused of involvement in the alleged discrimination and abetment.
Tensions on campus have not subsided. On Friday night, students at IIT Bombay organized a candlelight march. They demanded the reconstitution of the 10-member inquiry committee established by the institute's board. The students allege that some members of the current panel have expressed support for Prof. Doolla, undermining the probe's credibility. Student unions from other premier institutes have joined the Wakode family in calling for a transparent investigation.
The situation remains volatile as the police probe and the internal committee investigation proceed in parallel. The family's escalation to an indefinite fast puts significant pressure on both the university administration and the state government. The next critical step lies in the findings of the police investigation, which could determine whether criminal charges are formally filed against specific individuals within the institute.