Mumbai Crime Branch takes over probe into IIT Bombay student’s death

• The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s death and is examining his mobile phone for possible digital evidence

• Wakode’s parents have alleged caste-based and mental harassment by faculty members, with Professor Suryanarayan Dula among those named in the FIR

• IIT Bombay has apologised for its earlier statement about the case, while the institute’s Faculty Forum has defended Dula’s handling of the examination incident

The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the death by suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode and will examine his mobile phone for a possible note or other digital evidence.

No suicide note was recovered from Wakode’s room in Hostel No. 4 on the institute’s Powai campus. Investigators have seized his phone for technical analysis and are examining the scene to reconstruct the circumstances surrounding his death on 18 September.

An assistant commissioner of police-rank officer is heading the investigation. The authorities are also expected to summon those named in the first information report, including Professor Suryanarayan Dula, for questioning.

Wakode’s parents have alleged that he was subjected to caste-based discrimination and mental harassment by faculty members in the months before his death.

Police have registered a case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide, as well as relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The allegations in the FIR remain under investigation.

Wakode, 22, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone and ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.

The case has led to growing tensions between the IIT Bombay administration and protesting students and parents, who have raised questions about the events preceding the death and the institution’s response.

IIT Bombay has since apologised for its earlier communication on the matter, acknowledging that it was inappropriate to describe or characterise the circumstances before they had been established through an official investigation.

“The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities,” the institute said.

Separately, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum expressed grief over Wakode’s death and conveyed its condolences to his family. It also extended its support to Dula, who was the course instructor and invigilator during the examination.

According to the forum, the mid-term examination was conducted between 11 am and 1 pm on September 18. It said Dula allegedly noticed a student using a smartphone without permission and reported the suspected academic irregularity to the institute’s authorities in accordance with established procedures.

The forum maintained that Dula had acted in line with academic policies approved by the institute’s Senate. It also expressed concern that the professor’s reputation was being affected before the investigation had established the facts.

The Crime Branch will now examine the competing claims, digital material and witness accounts as it investigates whether harassment or any other circumstances contributed to Wakode’s death.

With IANS inputs