IIT‑Bombay professor says SC/ST cell never got a complaint from student Sahil Wakode

A senior professor at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT‑B) has stated that the institute’s Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) cell never received a formal complaint from the late student, Sahil Wakode, according to the Times of India. The professor, who chose to remain unnamed, said that internal records show no entry indicating that Sahil approached the cell with any grievance before his death.

The clarification comes amid growing public scrutiny after Sahil Wakode, a second‑year student, was found dead in his hostel room last month. Initial media reports suggested that the student had lodged a complaint about discrimination or harassment, prompting calls for an investigation into the campus climate for marginalized groups. The professor’s remarks aim to dispel the notion that the SC/ST cell was aware of any such issue.

IIT‑Bombay’s SC/ST cell, established to address grievances of students belonging to historically disadvantaged communities, typically records complaints in a centralized database and forwards them to the appropriate administrative bodies. The professor emphasized that the cell follows a strict protocol, and any complaint would have been logged and acted upon. "We have checked the logs thoroughly; there is no record of a complaint from Sahil," the faculty member told the Times of India.

Student suicides have been a distressing trend across Indian higher‑education institutions, with several high‑profile cases in recent years sparking debates over mental‑health support, academic pressure, and campus discrimination. According to a 2022 Ministry of Education report, over 1,200 students across Indian universities died by suicide between 2018 and 2021, prompting calls for stronger counseling services and grievance redressal mechanisms.

The absence of a formal complaint does not preclude the possibility that Sahil faced unreported challenges. Mental‑health experts stress that many students hesitate to seek help due to stigma or fear of retaliation. IIT‑Bombay has since announced a review of its counseling infrastructure and pledged to improve outreach to marginalized students, though families of the deceased continue to demand a transparent inquiry.

Authorities have not yet released an official autopsy report, and the case remains under investigation by local police. The institute’s administration has promised cooperation with law‑enforcement agencies while also urging the academic community to foster an environment where students feel safe to voice concerns.