Students staged a protest on the college campus as soon as news of the suicide emerged.
Second-year student Sahil Wakode died by suicide by hanging in his hostel room at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, on Friday evening. Sahil was from Yavatmal, Maharashtra, and was studying Energy Science and Engineering.
A few hours before the incident, he had been caught using a mobile phone during an exam. IIT Bombay stated that before the incident, Sahil had been caught using a mobile phone in the exam hall — he had attempted to cheat by uploading a photo of the question paper to ChatGPT.
This is reportedly the third suicide case on the IIT Bombay campus in the past 7 months. Earlier, in July, as the new semester began, a 20-year-old second-year BTech student had died by suicide in the same hostel. In February, a second-year student had died by suicide in Hostel-4.
Pictures of the protest outside IIT Bombay…
Students staged a protest on the college campus late on Friday night.
In view of the students’ protest, the Mumbai Police deployed a large security contingent outside the college campus.
IIT Bombay had assured no action would be taken
After the exam ended at 4 pm, he returned to his hostel, where he was found dead that evening. The institute said no action had been taken against him in this matter. His instructor and department head had spoken with him and reassured him that the incident would not affect his career.
The institute also called the death “unfortunate”.
Three suicide cases in 2026
February 2026: A second-year student died by suicide in Hostel 4.
July 2026: A 20-year-old second-year BTech student took his own life at Hostel 4 as the new semester began.
18 September 2026: A student died by suicide at the Powai campus following a dispute related to examinations.
Mid-semester examinations postponed
Following the incident, more than 400 students staged a protest against the campus administration. Later, Director Professor Shirish Kedare met the students.
Following the students’ protest, the ongoing mid-semester examinations have been postponed. The institute has expressed deep sorrow over the student’s death, and the matter is being investigated.
IIT Bombay expressed sorrow over the student’s death. The institute said it was providing support to the student’s friends, faculty members and others affected by the incident.
Student wellness centre available at IIT Bombay
IIT Bombay has a Student Wellness Centre (SWC) to help students cope with mental stress. Students can seek personal counselling and help with managing stress here. Appointments can be booked by emailing wellness@iitb.ac.in or calling 022-2576-9070.
If a student is becoming irritable over minor matters, giving up on their studies, staying locked in their room, eating or sleeping less, or constantly talking in a hopeless manner, it is a sign of severe mental stress.
65 students died by suicide in 5 years
According to RTI data, a total of 65 students died by suicide across India’s IITs between 2021 and 2025, with 15 cases in 2025 alone. Over these five years, IIT Kharagpur recorded the highest number of cases at 11. This RTI query was filed last year by Dheeraj Singh, a former IIT Kanpur student who runs a global mentoring network for IIT students.
