IIT Bombay Student Suicide: ChatGPT Exam Controversy and the Crisis of Mental Health in IITs

On September 18, 2026, Sahil Wakode, a second-year Energy Science and Engineering student from Yavatmal, died by suicide in his hostel room at IIT Bombay. The incident has sparked significant campus unrest and highlighted a volatile intersection of AI-driven academic integrity and the psychological pressure faced by students in India's premier technical institutes.

The ChatGPT Incident: Academic Integrity vs. Mental Pressure

The tragedy followed an exam where Wakode was caught using a mobile phone to upload photos of the question paper to the AI platform ChatGPT to obtain answers. According to the IIT Bombay administration, he was caught red-handed by invigilators and officials [3].

Following the incident, a sharp divide emerged regarding the student's final hours:

• Administration's Claim: The institute stated that the Head of Department (HoD) and instructor provided counseling and assured the student that इस एक घटना का असर उसके अकादमिक करियर या भविष्य पर नहीं पड़ने दिया जाएगा (this single incident would not affect his academic career or future) [3].
• Students' Allegations: Over 400 students protested, alleging that the HoD intimidated Wakode and placed excessive mental pressure on him during the counseling session [2].
• Family's Demand: Sahil's father has demanded the arrest of the professor, alleging the use of casteist slurs [3].

Due to the unrest, mid-semester examinations at IIT Bombay were postponed as Director Prof. Shirish Kedare met with students to address the crisis [2].

A Systemic Pattern: Suicide Trends in IITs

The death of Sahil Wakode is the third suicide at IIT Bombay in seven months, following cases in February and July 2026. This reflects a broader, alarming trend across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). RTI data from 2021 to 2025 reveals a systemic failure in student support systems.

Period/Metric	Reported Suicides/Details
2021–2025 (RTI Data)	65 total suicides across all IITs
2025 (Single Year)	15 cases
2026 (Year-to-date)	9 reported cases (including PhD and UG students)
Highest Incidence	IIT Kharagpur (11 cases between 2021-2025)

Addressing the Gap in Mental Health Support

While IIT Bombay maintains a Student Wellness Center (SWC) for personal counseling and stress management, the frequency of these tragedies suggests that available services may not be sufficient to counter the elite institutional expectations and the fear of failure. The term आत्महत्या (suicide) has trended in India as the public grapples with the human cost of academic pressure.

Immediate Help: If you or someone you know is struggling, please contact the national mental health helpline 'KIRAN' at 1800-599-0019 or Tele-MANAS at 14416 [3].