IIT-Bombay Apologises for Remarks on Student's Death as Crime Branch Takes Over Probe
The Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay in Mumbai issued an apology on Monday, September 21, 2026, for its earlier public statements regarding the death of second-year student Sahil, amidst ongoing student unrest on campus. The development came as the Mumbai Police transferred the investigation into the student's death to the Crime Branch.
Sahil was found dead in his hostel room on Friday, September 18, 2026. Prior to his death, an invigilating professor had reported him for possessing a mobile phone during an examination. An FIR has since been registered naming the invigilator, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, along with other institute officials.
Following the death, the institute had released an initial statement on Saturday, September 19, 2026, asserting that the student had been found using a mobile phone in the examination hall and had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. In that statement, IIT-Bombay had claimed that no disciplinary action was initiated and that the instructor, faculty advisor, and Head of the Department had counselled Sahil, assuring him that his academic career would not be adversely affected.
However, the deceased student's family contested the institute's narrative and raised allegations of caste discrimination. Sahil's father, Ravindra, stated in the police complaint that his son had previously informed him that Professor Doolla had been harassing him for three months, leading to allegations of casteist remarks.
Issuing an apology in a post on X on Monday, the institute acknowledged that it was inappropriate to have commented on the circumstances before police concluded their inquiry. IIT-Bombay stated that it deemed it improper to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding Sahil's demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process, noting that the facts remain subject to an ongoing probe by authorities.
Alongside the apology, IIT-Bombay also addressed rumours regarding administrative changes on campus, formally denying reports that its Director had stepped down. The institute issued a clarification stating that the Director has not resigned and categorically described the related claims as false.
