The Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA) and a coalition of Dalit and Ambedkarite organisations from North America and Europe have condemned IIT Bombay’s handling of the death of Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student from the Scheduled Caste community who died on 18 September 2026, hours after he was removed from an examination. His family has alleged caste-based harassment, and an FIR under the SC/ST Act names an IIT Bombay faculty member.
The organisations said IIT Bombay did not wait for the truth and, within a day, publicly stated that Sahil had been caught using ChatGPT in his examination. They argued that an institution whose faculty member was named in an FIR publicly presented its version of a dead student’s conduct before the facts were established, calling it extremely irresponsible and saying it fuelled hostility against Sahil and the SC/ST community.
The coalition said the most important questions remain unanswered, including whether examination procedures were properly followed, what happened after Sahil was removed from the hall, what occurred in the Dean’s office, and why examination-hall CCTV was leaked and circulated while footage from the Dean’s office and surrounding areas remains undisclosed.
It also criticised the response of the SC/ST Cell and Faculty Forum at IIT Bombay, saying the SC/ST Cell issued statements defending the institution while the investigation was still underway, and that three days after Sahil’s death the Faculty Forum organised a march supporting a faculty member named in the FIR. The organisations added that they had received highly concerning reports of discrimination against SC/ST students following the filing of Sahil’s parents’ complaint at the police station.
Demanding action, the organisations said IIT Bombay must retract its premature public characterisation of Sahil’s conduct, apologise to his family, and ensure an independent investigation with SC/ST representation and external experts. They demanded that IIT Bombay and Mumbai Police secure all CCTV footage from the examination hall, surrounding corridors and the Dean’s office, provide it to investigators and Sahil’s family or counsel, and identify those responsible for the leak.
They also said the Maharashtra government and Mumbai Police must establish a time-bound Special Investigation Team to fully investigate the allegations against the accused professor and ensure that evidence and witnesses are protected.
Central and regulatory authorities must fill vacant SC/ST/OBC faculty positions in IITs and central institutions through a time-bound process and conduct a nationwide audit of SC/ST representation, reservation and PhD admissions, while the NCSC, Maharashtra SC/ST Commission, UGC and Ministry of Education must take suo motu cognizance and institute a nationwide audit of SC/ST students’ experiences, complaints and institutional grievance mechanisms, the statement said.
Addressing SC/ST students of IIT Bombay, the organisations said they are not alone and are not on trial. They asked those needing support to contact aanausa@gmail.com and promised to stand with them and protect their identity.
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