IIT Bombay students announce hunger strike after Sahil's death, list 10 demands

IIT Bombay students have announced a hunger strike after 14 days of protest following BTech student Sahil Wakode's death by suicide, demanding accountability, reforms in student welfare and disciplinary systems, an independent investigation, and action on caste-related concerns.

In Short

• IIT Bombay students begin hunger strike after 14-day protest over Sahil Wakode's death
• Students demand accountability, including director's resignation and independent investigation
• Students list 10 demands covering safety, investigation, disciplinary reforms and caste concerns

Students at IIT Bombay have announced a hunger strike after continuing their protest on campus for 14 days following BTech student Sahil Wakode's death by suicide. The protesting students have demanded accountability from the institute administration and action on issues including the ongoing investigation, student welfare, disciplinary proceedings and caste-related concerns.

The announcement came on a day when the institute declared a holiday and, according to the students, invoked the values of peace, justice and equality associated with Mahatma Gandhi and the freedom struggle.

The students said they would begin their hunger strike to demand that the institute "walk the path it preaches".

STUDENTS DEMAND ACCOUNTABILITY FROM IIT BOMBAY

According to the students, hundreds gathered on campus after news of Sahil Wakode's death spread and marched towards the main gate. They collectively demanded the resignation of Director Shirish Kedare and Professor Doolla.

The students said the Director came to the gathering following the protest but alleged that he did not address their concerns and instead repeated promises of change. The protest continued through the night, during which students discussed issues affecting campus life and formulated a set of demands.

The students said they continued their sit-in protest over the following two days and reached a collective understanding that "any change can begin only after the institute acknowledges its failure and takes accountability".

They also alleged that the Director made promises that have not been fulfilled and subsequently resorted to "fear and intimidation" among students.

STUDENTS HOLD DISCUSSIONS DURING 14-DAY PROTEST

The students said that despite communicating their demands, the IIT Bombay administration had not officially responded to them.

During the 14-day protest, students organised discussions on mental health, student-teacher relationships, placement pressure, evaluation systems and dealing with loss on campus.

According to the statement, the protest also created avenues for dialogue among students across batches, departments and degree programmes at a time when several campus spaces were "increasingly being shut down".

The students said they remained determined to continue their protest and listed the following demands:

THE 10 DEMANDS OF STUDENTS

1. Ensure that Sahil's parents feel safe to visit the IIT Bombay campus and meet with students and the administration.
2. Immediate suspension of Prof Doolla from ALL responsibilities until the conclusion of the ongoing criminal investigations against him.
3. Dissolve the currently constituted investigation committee. Several of its members have publicly expressed support for Prof. Doolla before the investigation’s conclusion, creating a clear apprehension of bias. No current IIT Bombay employee or student should serve on the reconstituted committee. Establish an independent external investigation committee whose members have no prior allegations of caste-based discrimination. At least two of the following individuals should be included: Bhalchandra Mungekar, P. Sainath, Ram Punyani and Sukhadeo Thorat.
4. Immediate resignation of the Director for his failures that resulted in four suicides in the last two semesters, and for the gross mishandling of Sahil’s case.
5. SWC-related changes: Undertake thorough reforms of the SWC, incorporating student feedback. Set up a regular audit every six months and release its report to track progress. The Dean of Students' Welfare must be a medical professional.
6. DAC-related changes: Create a portal to track DAC proceedings, where meeting minutes, records of all communications with the DAC committee, and all DAC reports are uploaded on time. All appeals to DAC decisions must receive a satisfactory response within 48 hours. Permanent hostel expulsion must not be imposed as a punishment in DAC proceedings. Introduce a graded and reformative disciplinary framework.
7. SC/ST Cell related changes: Reconstitute the SC/ST Cell in accordance with the UGC mandate. Release reports from the past 3 years. All backlogs in SC/ST faculty recruitment must be filled at the earliest. The SC/ST cell must take cognizance of the rampant casteist attacks on Sahil and his family following his death, on social media and within the campus, and take appropriate action immediately.
8. Student concerns: Students from the same batch must be given the option to stay on the same floor. There should be a three-day buffer before and after mid-semester examinations. There should be no multiple examinations on the same day.
9. Ensure safer working conditions for workers and end gender disparities among workers.
10. No action must be taken against the students protesting at the Main Gate, during or after the protest.

The students said they would continue their protest until the institute addresses their demands and takes concrete steps towards accountability and reform.

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