IIT-Bombay suicide case: New CCTV footage shows Sahil Wakode’s movements before he left exam hall | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: A CCTV footage of IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s movements inside the examination hall on the day of his death has emerged. It shows Sahil looking at something in his pocket before a professor approaches and questions him.The 50-second video accessed by TOI captures the sequence between 12.30pm and 12.45pm on September 18, as police examine CCTV recordings to reconstruct the events preceding his death.Sahil, wearing what appears to be a black T-shirt and light-coloured trousers, is seen seated on the first bench in the middle of the hall.He bends down and looks at something in his pocket. A professor conducting a round subsequently approaches him and questions him.Sahil then gets up, collects his belongings and prepares to leave. Before exiting the hall, he appears to hand something to the professor, who is outside the CCTV frame at that moment.The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is examining footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel to piece together Sahil’s movements on the day he died by suicide.According to the police, he left the examination hall, moved across the campus and reached his hostel room at around 1.25pm. He did not step out of the room thereafter, an official said.Sahil, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room later that day. The case was later transferred to the Crime Branch.
Family alleges caste-based harassment
Sahil’s parents, who are from Yavatmal, have alleged caste-based harassment and institutional torture, saying their son would not have taken such an extreme step otherwise.They have sought a thorough investigation, including a CBI inquiry, and filed a case under the SC/ST Act alleging discrimination.The family has also sought access to CCTV footage and other evidence, alleging that several people could have been involved in the circumstances leading to Sahil’s death.“I want justice for my son. Do you realise that 100 hours have passed and no action has been taken against the offenders?” Sahil’s father, Ravindra Wakode said.
Police registered abetment case
Powai Police registered a case of abetment of suicide against multiple people following Sahil’s death. Police said the family had named a few people in the case.Sahil had been caught with a mobile phone during his examination on September 18. While students alleged that he was threatened with suspension, IIT-Bombay said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.In a statement, the institute said the matter had been discussed with Sahil by the instructor and head of the department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.The institute had initially said he used a phone to upload the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers, but later issued an apology and retracted its earlier characterisations of the incident.
Protests continue on campus
Protests and counter-protests have taken place on the IIT-Bombay campus following Sahil’s death, with security stepped up amid tensions.Student representatives said their protest was not intended to justify cheating or academic misconduct, but to raise concerns over systemic issues at the institute and seek reforms.They said they had submitted a set of demands to the director, who acknowledged and signed them and agreed to work towards their implementation within specified timelines.The IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum, meanwhile, staged a campus march in support of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla. The forum said he was discharging his duties in accordance with the institute’s Senate-approved academic policies.It said Doolla, the course instructor, was invigilating the mid-semester examination from 11am to 1pm on September 18 when he saw a student using a smartphone without authorisation, and reported the incident to institute authorities as per the approved procedure.
