On September 18, Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student, was found dead on the campus of IIT-Bombay (IIT-B). His was the third suicide or unnatural death at IIT-B this year. This year, there have been two suicides at IIT-Delhi and two at IIT-Kharagpur. All IITs have combinedly reported at least 11 student suicides or unnatural deaths. In the last five years, there have been at least 53 suicides/unnatural deaths at the IITs.

In Wakode’s case, allegations that he was caught cheating in an exam — and committed suicide while awaiting action — have complicated matters. The allegations, however, remain contested. His parents have stated that their son had complained about facing casteist comments. They filed an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against professor Suryanarayana Doolla who was the invigilator during the exam and also the dean of administrative affairs.

Eventually, IIT-B retracted its initial statement on Wakode’s death where it had mentioned the alleged cheating incident, saying conclusive statements could not be made till the matter was under investigation. Meanwhile, protests demanding justice for Wakode have been met with solidarity for Doolla from several members of........

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