A tragic incident at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has sparked protests, a police investigation and serious questions about academic pressure and student well-being after second-year student Sahil Wakode died by suicide on the institute’s Powai campus on Friday evening.

Wakode, an MSc second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room hours after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination. According to IIT Bombay, he had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT while the test was underway in an attempt to obtain answers.

The circumstances surrounding the death have since become the subject of conflicting accounts. While the institute has maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against Wakode and that he was counselled after the examination incident, students and the student's family have alleged that he faced the threat of severe disciplinary consequences and harassment.

The Mumbai Police have registered a case of abetment of suicide following a complaint by Wakode’s family. Police said the student's father named several people in his statement and that their alleged roles are being investigated.

What happened inside the IIT Bombay exam hall?

According to IIT Bombay’s account, Wakode was found using a mobile phone during an examination on Friday. The institute said he had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during the test.

The incident was subsequently discussed with him by the examination instructor and the Head of the Department. IIT Bombay said the student was counselled and assured that the examination incident would not adversely affect his academic career.

The institute stated that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him at that stage. After the discussion, Wakode returned to his hostel room. He was later found dead there that evening.

The sequence of events has become central to the ongoing investigation because of the short interval between the examination incident, the interaction with institute officials and Wakode’s death.

Police have been recording statements from students and faculty members as part of the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death.

Students allege threat of one-year suspension

Following Wakode’s death, students gathered at the Powai campus and began protesting, demanding transparency and accountability from the institute administration.

A major point raised by protesters was the alleged threat of a one-year suspension. Students claimed that Wakode had been warned of such disciplinary action after being caught using ChatGPT during the examination.

They further alleged that a suspension could have required him to vacate the hostel and live outside the campus. According to the protesters, this could also have delayed completion of his course beyond the standard duration.

These claims, however, have not been independently established. They differ from IIT Bombay’s official account, which states that no disciplinary action had been initiated and that the student had instead been counselled and assured that the incident would not damage his academic career.

The distinction is important as the police investigation continues. At present, the alleged threat of suspension remains a claim made by students and is not an established finding regarding what happened to Wakode.

Family alleges harassment and seeks justice

Wakode’s family has rejected the suggestion that the examination incident alone explains what happened.

His mother publicly alleged that her son had been harassed and demanded justice. His father, Ravindra Wakode, a bank employee from Yavatmal, reached the IIT Bombay campus with other family members following the death.

The family has alleged caste-based discrimination and what it described as institutional harassment. They have maintained that Wakode would not have taken such an extreme step without circumstances that, in their view, require investigation.

His father has also demanded action against those he believes were responsible. He said he would take his son’s body to the campus and remain there until those responsible were arrested, reflecting the family’s determination to seek accountability.

Mumbai Police subsequently registered an abetment-of-suicide case based on the family’s complaint. Several individuals were named in the father’s statement, and police are examining their alleged roles.

The allegations made by the family are part of the investigation and have not yet been established by police as findings of fact.

More than 400 students join campus protest

The incident quickly triggered a larger student mobilisation on campus. More than 400 students were reported to have taken part in protests, with students demanding answers from the administration and questioning whether all relevant details surrounding the death had been disclosed.

Protesters also raised broader concerns about mental health and the pressure faced by students at the institute.

One of the concerns voiced during the demonstrations was that the incident should not be viewed in isolation from the wider issue of student well-being. Students questioned whether enough attention was being given to the mental health challenges faced by those studying in an intensely competitive academic environment.

Police personnel were deployed on the campus as demonstrations continued. Discussions were also held between student representatives and the institute administration. A senior police officer said an investigation into the death was underway while acknowledging that students had assembled to raise their concerns.

Third student death by suicide at IIT Bombay in seven months

Wakode’s death has also renewed concerns about student safety and mental health at IIT Bombay because it was reported as the third student death by suicide on the Powai campus in seven months.

According to reports, a second-year student died by suicide in a hostel room in February. Another 20-year-old second-year BTech student died by suicide in July. In the July case, police reportedly found no suicide note and seized the student’s phone during the investigation. Investigators had reportedly examined a notebook containing a brief reference to relationship difficulties and depression.

The recurrence of such incidents has intensified calls from students for stronger mental-health measures and greater attention to the pressures affecting students.

However, the circumstances surrounding each death are different, and the available reports do not establish a single cause connecting the three incidents.

IIT Bombay says circumstances are being investigated

IIT Bombay has expressed grief over Wakode’s death and said it was extending support to his friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected by the tragedy.

The institute has maintained that no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against Wakode following the examination incident. It also said that the instructor and Head of Department had counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.

At the same time, the institute said the circumstances surrounding the death were being examined by the appropriate authorities.

That investigation now assumes greater significance following the registration of the abetment-of-suicide case and the competing accounts emerging from the institute, students and Wakode’s family.

AI, academic integrity and student pressure

The case has also brought a new and increasingly complicated issue into focus: the use of artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT during examinations.

AI platforms have rapidly become part of students’ academic lives, but their use during assessments can raise questions about academic integrity when examination rules prohibit external assistance. In Wakode’s case, the institute said the student was caught after using a phone to upload the examination paper to ChatGPT.

The tragedy, however, has shifted the discussion beyond the question of examination misconduct. It has raised questions about how institutions should respond when students face allegations of academic violations while also ensuring that disciplinary processes do not overlook their emotional and psychological well-being.

The ongoing investigation will be expected to establish the sequence of events, examine the allegations made by the family and students, and determine whether any actions or interactions before Wakode’s death had a legally relevant connection to it.

For now, the central facts remain that Wakode was caught using a mobile phone during an examination, IIT Bombay says no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated and that he was counselled, students allege he faced the threat of suspension, his family has alleged harassment, and Mumbai Police have registered an abetment-of-suicide case.

As protests continue and investigators examine the competing accounts, the IIT Bombay campus is left confronting questions that extend well beyond a single examination incident—about academic pressure, disciplinary procedures, student mental health, institutional accountability and how campuses respond when a student is in distress.

With input from agencies

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