Several students of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) who have been protesting outside the institute’s main gate in Powai since the death by suicide of a 20-year-old Dalit student on September 18 have alleged that security personnel tried to evict them from the site.

IIT powai students protest at IIT Bombay's Powai campus after 22-year-old Sahil Wakode, a second-year B.Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering death by suicide on the evening of September 18, 2026, (Satish Bate/ Hindustan Times)

In a statement released on Wednesday, the students said that security personnel attempted to clear “Justice Corner”, the name they’ve given to their peaceful agitation site, after the main gate was reopened days after the incident.

According to the statement, the students were pushed towards the corner of the protest area, and one of them was threatened by security personnel. The students claimed they were sitting peacefully and not blocking the movement of people or vehicles.

IIT-B authorities were unavailable for a comment to confirm or deny the allegations.

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The developments come as the IIT-B students’ protest entered its 13th day on Wednesday. Their agitation began after a second-year BTech student was found dead in his hostel room on September 18 after allegedly being caught cheating during a mid-semester exam.

The protesting students have presented an 18-point charter of demands to the administration, including an independent, transparent investigation into the student’s death, changes in the inquiry committee appointed by the institute, the resignation of IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare, and the suspension of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been accused of caste-based discrimination by the deceased student’s parents.

In their statement, the students alleged that the IIT-B administration was trying to “normalise” the campus while their demands remained pending. They said that reopening the main gate and increasing security presence would not end their protest. “We are not obstructing anyone. We are sitting and demanding justice,” the statement said.

The students also appealed to other IIT-B students, faculty members, staff and alumni to join them at the protest site, saying they would continue their agitation until their demands were met.

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Meanwhile, more than 20 Ambedkarite organisations from India and abroad, including the Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA), have criticised the handling of the death of the Dalit student and demanded an independent investigation into the case.

In a letter submitted to the IIT-B administration, the organisations said the institute should issue an apology to the parents and the SC/ST community over its initial statement following the student’s death, which included unverified allegations. They also demanded that the institute withdraw its statement about the student’s conduct during the examination and that the inquiry be conducted by independent members, including SC/ST students, faculty members and external experts.

The deceased student’s parents also continued their hunger strike on Wednesday, remaining firm on their demand for the arrest of Kedare and Doolla. The parents’ advocate, Nikhil Kamble, said they would continue their hunger strike at Azad Maidan after getting permission from the police.

The parents have also requested protection from the Mumbai police commissioner, joint commissioner of police (crime) and joint commissioner of police (law and order). “The family believes that the [alleged] accused persons are influential and may influence the investigation. The leakage of the CCTV footage [of what happened in the examination hall hours before the student’s suicide] has also raised concerns. The family has therefore requested police protection as they fear for their safety,” Kamble said.