- Students demand reforms; institute implements campus safety changes.
Four days after IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode died by suicide, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage from the examination hall and hostel to reconstruct the events before his death. The 22-year-old BTech student was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. The case was transferred to the Crime Branch on September 19 following protests on campus, while the institute has also faced demands for accountability and institutional reforms.
CCTV Timeline
According to police officials, CCTV cameras inside the examination hall captured Wakode’s movements before a professor approached him and allegedly took him aside after he was suspected of copying.
Footage from later in the day reportedly shows Wakode walking from the examination hall towards his hostel room. An official said he was not seen leaving the room afterwards.
Investigators are now collecting and cross-referencing footage from multiple locations across the Powai campus to establish a detailed timeline and reconstruct the sequence of events leading up to his death.
IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Rajkumar Pant said Wakode, a second-year student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, had not approached the institute’s SC/ST cell with any complaint in the recent past.
Also Read: IIT Bombay Student Death: IIT Delhi, Madras Faculty Bodies Back Prof. Dulla, Seek Fair Inquiry
Protests, Dean Removed
The institute removed Suryanarayana Doolla as dean of Administrative Affairs on Monday, following protests by students and political activists. A case alleging abetment and caste discrimination was registered against him in connection with Wakode’s death.
An official declined to comment on reports that CCTV footage showed Doolla questioning Wakode after allegedly noticing him looking at something in his pocket before taking him away from other students.
Police security was stepped up on campus following the protests. On Tuesday, RPI activists protesting outside the IIT Bombay gate were detained by police.
Student representatives have maintained that their protests are not intended to defend academic misconduct, but to raise concerns about wider institutional practices and seek reforms.
Campus Changes
IIT Bombay has also begun replacing ceiling fans with wall-mounted fans, according to sources familiar with the development. Images of wall-mounted fans arriving on campus as part of renovation work have circulated widely on social media.
A student delegation has submitted a list of demands to the IIT Bombay Director, who acknowledged their concerns and assured them that the proposed measures would be implemented within specified timelines. The Crime Branch investigation remains ongoing.
Also Read: ‘We Don’t Stand For Cheating’: IIT Bombay Students Clarify Protest After Sahil Wakode’s Suicide
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