A series of AI-generated images are being circulated online with fabricated claims falsely linking them to the recent suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student, died by suicide hours after allegedly being caught using ChatGPT during an examination. Invigilating professor Suryanarayana Doolla was subsequently removed as dean but retained as faculty. On September 21, IIT Bombay apologised for its earlier communication, saying the circumstances preceding Wakode’s death remain under investigation.
Fake conversations and AI Images circulating as IIT Bombay students’ voices
X accounts, including @Abhishek060722 and @PracticalSpy, shared AI-generated images purportedly showing IIT Bombay students speaking about the death of Wakode.
In one post, an AI-generated image of a woman is falsely presented as Wakode’s batchmate speaking to a reporter, with a microphone placed in front of her. Interestingly the microphone has no logo. The post claimed that Wakode's batchmate said that Doolla had caught him cheating and she further denied allegations of any caste-based discrimination against the professor.
Another X handle, @PracticalSpy, shared a photograph of a woman, generated using AI, and identified her as one IIT-B topper Priya Mishra. In the image she appears to speak to a reporter. The post further claimed that Mishra said academically weak students should not be sent to premier institutes like IITs. The post also portrayed the woman as defending Doolla as an “honest teacher.”
One such fake conversation also made to a news report published by Asianet News on September 21, 2026.
Images created using OpenAI
BOOM found that both the AI-generated images of the women were created using OpenAI to portray IIT Bombay students as supporting the accused professor while speaking to the media.
We also reached out to Ved Patil, coordinator at the Entrepreneurship Cell (E-Cell), IIT Bombay, a student-run body, about the claims in the posts. "These 'statements' being attributed to the students are fake, no IIT student will make such a statement against their fellow students," Patil said.
He added that the AI-generated images were being shared online to defame the students. BOOM was also unable to find any credible news reports attributing such a statement to an IIT Bombay 'topper' named Priya Mishra.
Fabricated quotes attributed to Abhijeet Dipke and Kangana Ranaut
In another set of fake posts, it was claimed that Cockroach Janata Party founder Abhijit Dipke demanded 10 years of imprisonment for IIT Bombay director Prof Shireesh Kedare and sought Rs 3 crore in compensation for Wakode’s kin.
The posts also falsely attributed comments to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut, claiming she defended the IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla for stopping a student from cheating in an exam.
BOOM found that Dipke did comment on the student protest at IIT Bombay but did not make any such demand against Prof Kedare, the IIT Bombay director.
We also found no record of Ranaut making such a statement regarding the IIT Bombay student’s death till the time of filing this report. The visual used in the viral post was from an unrelated ANI interview on August 12, 2026, with its logo blurred.
A Recurring Pattern?
BOOM had earlier reported a similar pattern of disinformation targeting the CJP-led student protest against the NEET paper leak in July this year. Similar tactics were also used at the time, with AI-generated images of fictional characters and government officials being circulated with made-up stories targeting the student-led protest. The report can be read here.