World · India Bureau
IIT-Bombay Students Demand Director's Resignation After Fourth Death
Students at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay have taken to the streets following the death of a 20-year-old student, demanding accountability from the administration. The incident marks the fourth such death on campus during the current director's tenure, raising serious questions about institutional safety measures.
LSN India ·
Anger erupted on the IIT-Bombay campus after the death of Sahil Wakode, 20, whose circumstances remain under investigation. The incident has intensified long-standing concerns among students about campus safety and institutional responsibility, with demonstrators questioning whether preventable deaths have become endemic to the institution.
Students have launched a formal campaign calling for the director's resignation, citing the pattern of four deaths during his tenure as evidence of systemic failure. Posters at hostel gates underscore the administration's inability to fulfill its duty of care toward residents, challenging the institution's public claims about campus security infrastructure.
The investigation into Wakode's death has been transferred to the crime branch, elevating the case's profile and indicating the seriousness with which authorities are now treating the matter. The handover reflects acknowledgment that the circumstances warrant comprehensive criminal investigation beyond standard institutional protocols.
The student movement reflects broader frustrations with administrative response to repeated tragedies. Demonstrators argue that multiple deaths within a single administration's term represent a critical failure in institutional safeguarding, demanding not only the director's removal but also fundamental changes to campus mental health and safety systems.