IIT Bombay alumni call for reforms after student’s death

A group of 79 Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay alumni has called for comprehensive reforms after the alleged suicide of 20-year-old student Sahil Wakode, saying his death should not be viewed as an isolated incident. In a letter to the institute’s Director, the alumni expressed concern about the academic environment and called for an impartial investigation into allegations of caste-based harassment involving Wakode. An internal IIT inquiry and a criminal investigation by the Mumbai Crime Branch are under way.

Wakode, a second-year B.Tech student, allegedly died by suicide on September 18. His parents have alleged that he faced caste discrimination. The alumni also welcomed the institute’s decision to suspend the Dean of Academic Affairs pending investigation.

The letter cited four student suicides at IIT Bombay in the previous year and said two students who died during the last three years, including Wakode and Darshan Solanki, belonged to the Dalit community. It also referred to media reports alleging 45 suicides across 23 IITs over five years. The former students called for a survey of students’ mental health, including the effects of supervisors and teachers, and for improved counselling.

They sought counsellors and therapists from diverse backgrounds, including LGBTQ+ and SC/ST/OBC communities, as well as regular faculty training on mental health and the experiences of marginalised students. The alumni criticised what they described as an increasingly militarised campus, including police deployment and frisking by private security staff during examinations. They also proposed improving the teacher-student ratio, currently cited in the letter as 1:18.

They urged the institute to support Wakode’s family, avoid criminalising protesting students and address grievances through a peaceful and transparent process. The institute’s public relations officer did not respond to the report’s queries.