IIT Bombay Director Signs Student Charter After Protest Over Suicide

The director of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay signed an 18-point charter of demands from protesting students on Sunday night, following three days of demonstrations triggered by the suicide of a second-year student. The agreement came after a nearly three-hour meeting between Director Professor Shireesh Kedare and students who had been staging a sit-in near the campus main gate. The protests began after the death of Sahil Wakode, a 20-year-old student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, on September 18. The institute stated Wakode was found dead in his hostel hours after being discovered allegedly using a mobile phone during a midsemester examination and uploading questions to an AI platform for answers. The administration said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him and that he was counselled. Wakode's parents filed a police complaint alleging abetment to suicide and caste-based harassment, naming Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating the examination. The case has been transferred to the Mumbai Crime Branch. The institute has denied allegations of caste discrimination.