IIT Bombay issues apology for earlier statements over student suicide, deletes professor post
On September 19, IIT Bombay had issued a statement about the death of 22-year-old Sahil Wakode, a second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.
PTC News Desk: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay has apologised for its earlier statement about the circumstances surrounding the death of a student, saying that the events leading up to the incident are still being investigated.
The institute said it was inappropriate to provide details or describe what happened before the student's death until the facts had been established through the proper investigation.
“A second-year student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay died by suicide yesterday evening. The Institute expresses its deep and heartfelt condolences to the student's family, kith and kin.
“We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil," IIT Bombay said.
“The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process," the institute added.
We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil.
— IIT Bombay (@iitbombay) September 21, 2026
The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of…
On September 19, IIT Bombay had issued a statement about the death of 22-year-old Sahil Wakode, a second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.
In its earlier statement, the institute said the student had died by suicide the previous evening. It also said that earlier that day, he had allegedly been found using a mobile phone during an examination and had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
The institute had stated that no disciplinary action was taken against him. According to the earlier communication, the incident was discussed with him by the instructor, faculty adviser and Head of Department, who counselled him and assured him that it would not negatively affect his academic career.
IIT Bombay has now withdrawn the characterisation of those events and apologised, stressing that the appropriate authorities are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the student's death.