Students at IIT Bombay held a candlelight march to commemorate Sahil Wakode, who allegedly committed suicide (R: Representative image)
MUMBAI: A week after Sahil Wakode’s death, IIT Bombay students held a candlelight march on Friday night demanding that the 10-member committee probing the circumstances surrounding his alleged suicide be reconstituted, claiming some members of the panel had expressed support for Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in the police FIR. The march began at the Justice Corner near the main gate and continued to Hostel 4, where Wakode was found dead on September 18. The Board of IIT Bombay had constituted a 10-member committee earlier this week to probe the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s alleged suicide. Wakode, 22, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after he was caught while allegedly using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. (With PTI 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.
The students demanded that the inquiry committee be reconstituted without any current IIT Bombay employees or students as members. They also sought the inclusion of at least two of four prominent personalities – former Planning Commission member Bhalchandra Mungekar, journalist P Sainath, activist Ram Puniyani and academic Sukhadeo Thorat, in the new panel. Doolla, a faculty member named in the police FIR alleging caste discrimination and abetment to suicide, has already been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe. The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is probing the alleged abetment to suicide case. Download the TOI App.
The protesting students also demanded that Doolla be relieved of all his responsibilities until the criminal investigation is completed. They further sought the resignation of IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare.