MUMBAI: A week after IIT Bombay’s second-year engineering student Sahil Wakode’s death, students held a candlelight march for reconstitution of the 10-member probe committee, alleging that some panel members had expressed support for accused Prof Suryanarayana Doolla.
The 22-year-old Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18 evening, hours after he was caught while allegedly using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. Later, the IIT Bombay extended apology for its claim, saying the investigation is on.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is probing the alleged abetment to suicide case, has taken all the CCTV footage of the incident and sent them for forensic analysis. FIRs have been filed against Doolla and IIT Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare. The protesting students demanded removal of both Doolla and Kedare.
The students said that they do not expect a fair probe by the current panel and justice to Wakode. The IIT board had constituted the 10-member committee to probe the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s alleged suicide.
They demanded that Doolla be relieved of all his responsibilities until the criminal investigation is completed. Doolla, named in the FIR alleging caste discrimination and abetment to suicide, has already been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe.
The march began at the Justice Corner near the main gate on Friday night and continued to Hostel 4, where Wakode was found dead on September 18.
The students demanded that the panel be reconstituted with no current IIT Bombay employees or students as members.