The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is scrutinising CCTV footage in connection with the death by suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Ravindra Wakode
CCTV cameras recorded Sahil’s movements inside the examination hall between 12:30 PM and 12:45 PM on September 18, according to the Crime Branch. With around 15 minutes remaining for the examination to conclude, Sahil was seen bending down to look at something kept in his pocket. He reached his hostel room at approximately 1:25 PM.
The Crime Branch clarified that the CCTV footage has not been released or shown to anyone and is currently being examined by the investigating team. They said the director acknowledged and signed the demands and agreed to work towards their implementation within specified timelines. The Mumbai Police has officially transferred the case to the Crime Branch. (With ANI inputs) You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
A professor subsequently questioned him and took him aside, away from the other students, according to the police. He did not step out of the room thereafter,” the Crime Branch official said. The representatives said they had formulated a comprehensive set of demands, which were formally placed before the director. The forum termed the incident “academic malpractice” and said Doolla reported it to institute authorities as per the approved procedure.
“After leaving the examination hall, Sahil moved across the campus. Sahil, a second-year BTech student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room later that day. Investigators are now examining footage from different locations on the campus to establish Sahil’s movements from the examination hall to the hostel and further piece together the events preceding his death. The development comes amid protests and counter-protests at IIT Bombay following Sahil’s death. Download the TOI App.
The institute later issued a formal apology and retracted its earlier characterisations of the incident. MUMBAI: The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is piecing together CCTV footage from IIT Bombay ‘s examination hall, campus and hostel to reconstruct student Sahil Ravindra Wakode’s movements on the day he died by suicide, with investigators focusing on the sequence of events between the end of his exam and his return to his hostel room, an official said on Tuesday. Security was also stepped up on the campus on Tuesday amid the tensions. IIT Bombay student representatives on Monday said their protest was not intended to justify cheating or academic misconduct, but to raise concerns over systemic issues within the institute and seek institutional reforms.
In an earlier statement issued on September 19, IIT Bombay had said the student was caught cheating during an examination and had used a phone to upload the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers. Sahil’s family has alleged caste-based harassment and sought a thorough probe, including a CBI inquiry. His parents have filed a case under the SC/ST Act, alleging discrimination. The family has also sought access to CCTV footage and other evidence and alleged that several people could be involved in the circumstances leading to Sahil’s death.
Doolla, who was the course instructor, was invigilating the mid-semester examination from 11 am to 1 pm on September 18 when he saw a student using a smartphone without authorisation, according to the Faculty Forum.
Suryanarayana Doolla, the students said they had not presumed his guilt or prejudged the ongoing investigation. They said their demand was for Doolla to be relieved of his administrative duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs during the investigation as a precautionary measure. The forum said he was discharging his duties in accordance with the institute’s Senate-approved academic policies.
On Prof. The IIT Bombay PRO clarified that Doolla had only been suspended from the deanship. Earlier on Monday, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum staged a campus march in support of Doolla.