Sahil’s parents allege casteist harassment at IIT Bombay, demand action

Mumbai: Parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode said on Tuesday that he had told them he was being subjected to casteist slurs and humiliation at the institute, and called for a thorough, time-bound investigation into his death.

Speaking to reporters after recording their statements with the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, Sahil’s mother Sonali Wakode and father Ravindra Wakode demanded strict action against those found responsible.

Sonali Wakode said Sahil had repeatedly told the family that he was being tortured, abused and humiliated on the basis of his caste.

“He specifically told us that Professor Suryanarayana Doolla would say, ‘I am from an upper caste and you are from a lower caste.’ According to what Sahil told us, this had been continuing for around three months,” she said.

She recalled that during a visit to his hostel room on September 13, Sahil again spoke about the abuse and said he was being tortured.

“We tried to give him moral support and advised him to focus on his studies because he had secured admission to IIT and had a bright future ahead. In hindsight, I feel that telling him to tolerate the situation was our mistake,” Sonali said.

Sonali said she had full faith in the Crime Branch and wanted the investigation to be completed “fairly, thoroughly, and strictly in accordance with the FIR”.

“The allegations and circumstances recorded in the FIR must be properly investigated, and appropriate action should be taken against those found responsible,” she said.

She also questioned the institute’s initial claim that Sahil had been caught using ChatGPT during an examination, saying anyone making such allegations must produce evidence.

“I am also concerned by what appears to be a change in IIT Bombay’s position or statements regarding these allegations. I request the authorities to examine this carefully and determine whether such allegations have any evidentiary basis or whether they are diverting attention from the issues raised in the FIR,” she said.

Ravindra Wakode said the truth would emerge only after the accused were arrested.

“Sahil was a bright student. Cracking the JEE Advanced exam is not an ordinary achievement. Look at his All India rank,” he said.

The parents called for the immediate arrest of IIT Bombay Director Professor Shirish Kedare and Professor Doolla, and said they had faith in the administration and the Constitution that their son would get justice.

A senior Crime Branch official said the statements of Sahil’s parents had been recorded. Statements of IIT Bombay officials, including Professor Doolla, were yet to be recorded and they would be summoned for questioning soon, he said.

Sahil, a second-year B.Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging in his hostel room on the Powai campus on September 18 evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.