Around 20 to 25 people, including stand-up comedian Masoom Rajwani, were detained by Mumbai Police during a candlelight gathering at Chaityabhoomi in Dadar on Sunday (October 25, 2026) evening to demand justice for IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who was found dead last month amid allegations of caste-based discrimination.
Protesters alleged that police forcibly removed several participants, including women, while police maintained that the march was unauthorised. Those detained were subsequently released from Tardeo, Worli and Dadar police stations after approximately 8:30–9 p.m..
The Progressive Students Union (PSU) had called for a vigil at 5.30 p.m. to pay tribute to Wakode and demand an impartial investigation into his death. A heavy police presence was deployed in the area.
DCP Mahendra Pandit confirmed that approximately 20 to 25 people had been taken to police stations for participating in an unauthorised candle march. In his statement issued earlier in the evening, he said the process of releasing them was underway. However, police did not respond to the protesters’ allegations of manhandling and misconduct.
Protesters allege two rounds of detentions
Tejas Anoop, from Aamchi Padhai Aamchi Ladai, alleged that police carried out two rounds of detentions, around 6 p.m. and 7 p.m..
“Police were approaching students individually and asking whether they had candles. Those carrying posters, or anyone they suspected of being a protester, were detained,” he alleged.
According to Mr. Anoop, more participants gathered after witnessing the initial detentions, after which police surrounded them and took several people away. He estimated that 60 to 70 police personnel were present and alleged that women were handled roughly.
“Even those who questioned the police action and asked for written authorisation were detained,” he said, adding that several participants were taken to Tardeo police station. Despite the disruption, protesters eventually managed to hold the vigil, he said.
Mr. Rajwani said he arrived around 6.10 p,.m. and that no march had begun even at 7.30 p.m.. “There was no march, and no candles had been lit,” he said, alleging that tensions escalated when participants questioned the detention of a woman.
Mr. Rajwani claimed that four police personnel lifted him by his arms and legs while taking him into custody, leaving him with a minor scratch. He also alleged that detainees were not informed where they were being taken or offered water during transportation. He said he was considering filing a police complaint and undergoing a medical examination.
Women question police action
Akalya, another participant, alleged that four police personnel put her in a van while she was taking photographs near Chaityabhoomi around 7 p.m..
“I was sitting alone inside the van for at least 30 to 45 minutes. They didn’t tell me why they picked me up,” she said.
She further alleged that police temporarily confiscated her phone when she attempted to inform her family about the detention. She said the van remained parked near Chaityabhoomi, and her phone was returned before she was allowed to leave.
Deepali, another participant, said she had been taken to a police station earlier in the evening and allowed to leave around 6.30 p.m.. “We wanted to do everything peacefully. We were not breaking any law. The way police treated us was wrong,” she said.
Shabana Osmani, who attended the gathering, expressed solidarity with Wakode’s family. “I lost my nine-year-old son in an accident, so I understand the pain of Sahil’s mother. So many young people had gathered for him, but they were not allowed to do anything,” she said.
‘Who exactly are the police working for?’
Ali Bhojani, from Hum Bharat Ke Log, condemned the detentions and questioned the police response to citizens gathering in solidarity with Wakode.
Mr. Bhojani alleged that police had treated peaceful participants as though they were terrorists or murderers. “Who exactly are the police working for?” he asked, asking whether the force was serving citizens or the interests of powerful politicians.
Sahil Parsekar, a member of CJP, questioned the police action at Chaityabhoomi, highlighting the site’s significance to the Ambedkarite community.
“Chaityabhoomi is a place of immense significance for Ambedkarites, a space where people gather to remember Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar and reaffirm their commitment to equality and justice,” he said.
“When students come together to mourn, remember, and demand justice, the response cannot be intimidation and detention,” Mr. Parsekar said, adding that protecting the right to dissent and peaceful assembly was essential to upholding Ambedkar’s values.
Meanwhile, protester Vaibhav Yallal demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into Wakode’s death, describing it as an alleged “institutional murder” and seeking representation of officers from marginalised communities in the investigation.
Vivek Kadam, another participant, questioned the police response, saying, “We had gathered only for Sahil. Even if the student belonged to another caste, we would have stood up for him.”
84 organisations demand director’s resignation
Amid the continuing protests, 84 organisations from across the country have written an open letter to IIT Bombay Director Prof Shireesh Kedare, demanding his resignation over the institute’s handling of Wakode’s death.
The signatories accused the administration of attempting to discredit Wakode by issuing a statement referring to an alleged examination malpractice incident shortly after his death. They also questioned the faculty body’s public support for Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in the FIR, and alleged that examination hall CCTV footage had been selectively released to the media.
The letter further criticised the police action against students and Wakode’s parents during earlier demonstrations.
“The series of events which has unfolded following the unfortunate demise of your student Sahil Wakode has revealed IIT Bombay administration to be spectacularly callous at best or maliciously repressive towards complaints of caste discrimination,” the letter stated.
Calling for accountability, the organisations urged Mr. Kedare to resign, saying his continued leadership would send a damaging message to students, raising concerns about discrimination and harassment.
The signatories include student unions, Ambedkarite organisations, teachers’ associations and civil rights groups, including the Ambedkar Students’ Association, Students’ Federation of India, All India Students’ Association, National Alliance of People’s Movements and Disha Students’ Organisation.
Mr. Anoop also linked Sunday’s (October 25, 2026) incident to police action against protesting students at IIT Bombay on October 18, alleging that students had been forcibly detained and that belongings, including laptops, medicines and hostel keys, had not been returned.
In a separate development, DCP Pandit said approximately 120 people who had gathered for an unauthorised Adivasi Gen Z protest at Shivaji Park were also taken to a police station. At the time of his statement, the process of releasing them was underway.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student, was found dead in his IIT Bombay hostel room on September 18. His parents alleged caste-based harassment, following which the police registered a case against Professor Doolla under provisions relating to abetment of suicide and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Mr. Doolla was removed from his administrative position and sent on leave, while the Mumbai Crime Branch took over the investigation. Mr. Doolla and Mr. Kedare have denied allegations of caste-based discrimination. IIT Bombay had also apologised for its initial communication about the circumstances of Wakode’s death.