Sahil Wakode’s parents extend hunger strike as calls for arrests continue

The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode continued a hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan on Wednesday, pressing for the arrest of a professor and the institute’s director. The protest had entered its third day. Some workers from the Mumbai Youth Congress and the All India Students’ Federation joined the family at the site, holding Wakode’s photograph and calling for justice.

The family is demanding the arrest of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been booked for alleged abetment to suicide, and IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare. Wakode’s parents have said they will continue the protest until both are arrested and those responsible are punished. Wakode, 22, a second-year student, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18.

His parents have alleged that he faced caste discrimination at the institute. The family’s lawyer said it had not received a response from the government to its demands. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has been reviewing CCTV footage and other evidence to reconstruct what happened after Wakode allegedly left an examination hall.

Investigators have questioned students, faculty members and administrative staff. IIT Bombay has formed a 10-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding his death. Students protesting on campus have also raised broader concerns about welfare and grievance-redressal systems.

The family’s protest has received political support. Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad met the family and said Wakode’s death, along with that of IIT Bombay student Darshan Solanki, had raised questions about student safety and accountability at the institution.