Mumbai Shocker: IIT Bombay Student Dies By Suicide, Students Protest On Campus | VIDEO

Mumbai, September 18, 2026: A second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay allegedly died by suicide in his hostel room on Friday evening, hours after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination, according to the Powai police and the institute.

Sahil Wakode, a student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found hanging in his fourth-floor room at Hostel No. 4 on the Powai campus. Police said no suicide note was recovered from the room.

According to a Powai police officer, Wakode had been appearing for an examination earlier in the day when an examiner found him using a mobile phone. He subsequently left the examination hall and returned to his hostel.

Institute Issues Statement

The institute, in a statement, said the student had uploaded the examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. It said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him following the incident.

The institute said the matter was discussed with Wakode by the instructor and the Head of the Department. They counselled him and assured him that the incident would not have an adverse impact on his academic career.

Wakode later returned to his hostel room. His friends became concerned when he did not respond to their calls and went looking for him. After finding the room locked from inside, they broke open the door and found him dead, police said.

Students Stage Protest

The incident subsequently sparked a protest on the IIT Bombay campus, with a large number of students gathering and seeking answers from the administration. The protesters raised several demands, including the resignation of the examination in-charge, the director and faculty members of the Energy Science and Engineering department.

The students also demanded representation of students on examination and other academic committees. They called for a review of the institute’s disciplinary code of conduct.

Police Begin Investigation

The institute expressed grief over the student’s death and said it was extending support to his friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected by the incident. “The circumstances surrounding the death are being looked into by the appropriate authorities,” it said.

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Meanwhile, the Powai police have registered an accidental death report. Investigators seized Wakode’s mobile phone to retrieve data and collected CCTV footage from the campus to trace his movements before the incident.

Police are also expected to record statements from the institute’s management and teaching staff as part of the investigation.

Students said the incident was the fourth suicide case reported at IIT Bombay in the past year.

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