Student suicide: Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, NSUI activities detained during protest outside IIT Bombay

MUMBAI: Police on Thursday detained Congress MP Varsha Gaikwad, dozens of other party workers and NSUI activists protesting outside the IIT Bombay campus to express solidarity with the family of student Sahil Wakode, who allegedly died by suicide, an official said.

Wakode (22), a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18 evening, hours after being caught allegedly using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. His parents have claimed that he had told them about caste-based slurs he faced.

Gaikwad, other Congress workers and members of the National Students' Union of India (NSUI), the party's students' wing, staged a protest outside the institute's Powai campus on Thursday.

The parliamentarian and several other activists, including women workers, were rounded up and taken to the local police station for further legal action, a police official said.

Speaking to reporters during the protest, Gaikwad accused the ruling establishment of harming the education system and termed the incident an "institutional murder."

"The BJP and RSS have damaged the education system, and such incidents are happening repeatedly," she alleged.

"Congress stands firmly with the family members of the deceased student, and (party MP) Rahul Gandhi has assured them of all possible support," she added.

Heavy security was deployed outside the institute's gate to prevent any untoward situation.

Senior officers, including Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade and local Assistant Commissioners of Police, were present at the spot to review the situation.