IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare held a late-night three-hour meeting on Sunday with students protesting the death by suicide of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode. The students had gathered in large numbers at the institute’s main gate. During the recorded discussion, the administration reviewed a list of 18 demands put forward by the protesters and signed the document. An official said further discussions would continue and due process would be followed.
The institute’s Board of Governors is scheduled to meet on Monday to address the matter, with an open house involving students also expected the same day.
Protests began on the Powai campus on Friday night after Wakode, a 20-year-old energy science and engineering student, ended his life hours after being caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. He was alleged to have uploaded the exam paper to an AI platform. This was the third such incident on campus this year. The institute stated that no formal action had been initiated against him, though some claimed he faced threats of suspension.
Among the students’ key demands was the suspension of the professor who was both Wakode’s teacher and the exam invigilator. Wakode’s family has filed a police complaint against the professor and other institute officials, alleging abetment and harassment over recent months. Other demands include an open apology, an independent investigation committee with student representatives and external members, suspension of any officials found responsible, fair compensation for the family, and a code of conduct with sensitisation for professors.
The faculty forum expressed solidarity with the professor, stating he had followed approved academic procedures by reporting the observed malpractice to authorities. The forum mourned the student’s loss while expressing concern over the impact on their colleague’s reputation.
Separately, the institute is moving ahead with plans to replace ceiling fans in student hostels with wall-mounted ones, a measure previously discussed after an earlier campus incident.