Mumbai, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode have appealed to students to join their indefinite hunger strike at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan from Monday, as they seek action in connection with their son’s death.
Sahil, a second-year BTech student, died by suicide on September 18. His parents have alleged that he faced caste-based discrimination and harassment at the institute. Mumbai Police’s Crime Branch is investigating the case, and officials have so far recorded statements from 20 people while efforts are underway to access Sahil’s locked mobile phone.
In a video message, Sahil’s father Ravindra Wakode said he had tried several times to enter the IIT Bombay campus but was not permitted to do so.
“I have tried two-three times to enter,” he said, adding that he would sit on a hunger strike at Azad Maidan from Monday after receiving permission to protest there.
Appealing to IIT Bombay students, Wakode said his son was no longer alive but urged students to continue their fight for justice.
“Join us in the hunger strike in as many numbers as possible,” he said, while asking students not to be influenced by different theories surrounding the case.
“We will keep fighting until my son gets justice,” Wakode said.
He also urged students to preserve any material that could potentially assist the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings.
“Please safeguard any evidence that you might have. I will need it during the legal proceedings,” he said.
The parents had earlier demanded arrests of those they hold responsible for their son’s death. Their lawyer Nikhil Kamble had alleged that the couple was detained by Mumbai Police in Bhandup on Thursday while travelling to the IIT Bombay campus. Police said the parents had been permitted to protest at Azad Maidan but were insisting on holding the demonstration outside the institute.
The case has also triggered protests on the IIT Bombay campus, with students demanding an independent probe and wider reforms in the institute’s student welfare and disciplinary systems.
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has also called for a thorough probe, after raising concerns over allegations of caste discrimination surrounding Sahil’s death.
FOLLOW NOW
