IIT BOMBAY STUDENTS SEEK FRESH PANEL IN SAHIL WAKODE DEATH PROBE

September 26, 2026

MUMBAI: Students at IIT Bombay have demanded the reconstitution of the 10-member committee investigating the death of 22-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode, arguing that the existing panel may not be sufficiently independent. The demand followed a candlelight march held on Friday night, a week after Wakode was found dead in his hostel room.

The students have sought a new committee without current IIT Bombay employees or students. They have also proposed that at least two prominent external figures be included, naming former Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar, journalist P. Sainath, activist Ram Puniyani and academic Sukhadeo Thorat as possible members.

The students have further demanded that Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in an FIR following allegations by Wakode's family concerning caste discrimination and abetment to suicide, be relieved of all responsibilities until the criminal investigation is completed. Doolla has already been sent on leave by IIT Bombay to facilitate an impartial inquiry. The allegations against him remain under investigation.

The protesters have also called for the resignation of IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare. The institute had earlier constituted the committee under the chairmanship of Professor Ramesh Venkateswaran, chairman of the Board of Governors of IIT Palakkad, to examine the circumstances surrounding Wakode's death. A separate Mumbai Crime Branch investigation is also underway.