Nagpur/Washim: The suicide of Sahil Ravindra Wakode, a second-year B.Tech student at IIT Bombay, has once again brought into sharp focus questions over social equality, student safety and alleged caste-based discrimination in India’s premier educational institutions.
Sahil’s family has alleged that he was subjected to caste-based harassment. Citing the seriousness of the allegations, former Maharashtra President of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Dr Adv Sandeep Tajne on Tuesday demanded a CBI probe into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death and Rs 5 crore financial assistance for his family from the government.
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“If a Bahujan student who earns admission to one of the country’s premier educational institutions is subjected to caste prejudice, humiliation or mental pressure, it cannot be treated merely as the tragedy of an individual student. It raises serious questions about the social sensitivity of the entire education system,” Tajne said.
He demanded stringent action if the allegations are established, arguing that merely suspending those found responsible would not be sufficient and that institutions must be held accountable for discriminatory practices.
Referring to the suicide of Rohith Vemula, Tajne said the continued concerns over the safety of students from disadvantaged communities in higher educational institutions should prompt the government to undertake a serious review of existing mechanisms.
He also demanded that Union Education Minister accept moral responsibility and resign over the Sahil case. Tajne further alleged that a change in the Union Education Minister would not by itself alter what he described as the approach of the RSS-led government towards the educational advancement of SC and ST students.
According to official data cited by the government in Parliament, several suicides involving SC/ST students were reported in IITs between 2018 and 2023. A Rajya Sabha reply in 2023 stated that two SC students died by suicide in 2018, one SC student in 2019, one SC and one ST student in 2022, and two SC students in 2023.
Sahil’s death occurred following an incident related to an examination. The institute had initially issued a clarification regarding the examination process, but subsequently apologised for certain aspects of its earlier statement and said the matter was under investigation.
The police investigation has also been transferred to the Crime Branch. However, Tajne has demanded that the entire matter be handed over to the CBI for an independent and comprehensive investigation.
“The allegations of caste discrimination must be established or disproved through a fair investigation. But simply dismissing the concerns raised by students and their families as ‘academic pressure’ would be dangerous,” Tajne said.
He called for effective grievance-redressal mechanisms specifically accessible to SC and ST students, independent social audits and accountable counselling systems in every higher educational institution.
The demands have added to the scrutiny surrounding Sahil’s death, with the allegations of caste-based harassment now placing institutional accountability and student protection at the centre of the controversy.
