The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay on Wednesday set up a 10-member high-level committee to probe the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide of student Sahil Wakode, an official said.
His remarks came after Wakode's family alleged that he had faced systematic institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination.
The panel, constituted by the board of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, was also likely to question Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, an accused in the case, the official added.
IIT Bombay on Monday removed Doolla as dean of Administrative Affairs following protests by students and political activists over Wakode's death. He was subsequently sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe into the case, with no classes currently underway, the sources said.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is already conducting a probe into the death of Wakode, 22, a second-year B-Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. He was found hanging in his hostel room on the Powai campus on September 18 evening, hours alleged claims that he had been caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination, according to officials.
Police have registered a case against Doolla under provisions relating to abetment of suicide and caste discrimination.
Wakode's father had said that his son is a victim of caste-based discrimination. He said that for the last three months, his professor and officers of the IIT Bombay harassed him by making casteist slurs against him, even though he was a bright student.
Meanwhile, the institute later backtracked on its earlier statements that the deceased had cheated in the examination using ChatGPT, which it had linked to his death, and apologised.
Notably, the Mumbai Police have booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and Section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, following a complaint lodged by Wakode's family.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)