Technology · India Bureau
IIT Bombay student dies by suicide after ChatGPT exam violation
A second-year engineering student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay has died by suicide following allegations that he used artificial intelligence to cheat during an examination. The death marks the third suicide at the prestigious Mumbai campus in seven months.
LSN India ·
The 22-year-old student, identified as Sahil Ravindra Wakode from Maharashtra's Yavatmal district, was found hanging in his hostel room on Friday evening. According to police and an official statement from IIT Bombay, Wakode had allegedly uploaded examination question papers to ChatGPT during the test to obtain answers.
Wakode was a second-year Bachelor of Technology student in the Energy Science and Engineering department. He resided in Hostel Number 4 on the institute's Powai campus. His death came to light when hostel mates found him unresponsive in his room.
The incident represents a troubling pattern at the institution. IIT Bombay has now recorded three student suicides in seven months. A second-year student died by suicide in February, while another 20-year-old second-year BTech student took his own life in July 2026 at the start of the new academic semester.
The deaths have raised concerns about mental health support and academic pressures at the elite engineering institute, which draws students from across India to pursue science and technology degrees.