MUMBAI: Police investigation into the death of IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode has revealed that a verbal confrontation took place between him and exam supervisor Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla in the examination hall, after which Wakode left the place and was found hanging in his room later.
The Crime Branch of the Mumbai Police has taken possession of the relevant CCTV footage from September 18, the day of the incident. Police sources say that it reveals that Wakode was seen in examination hall between 12.30 pm and 12.45 pm, while the paper was scheduled to end at 1 pm. The student went to his room at around 1:25 pm.
An officer said, “The footage shows that the student in question is bending a bit and peeping at something in his pocket. It can also be seen in the footage that Doolla was questioning Wakode. Doolla later took Wakode to the side away from other students, where a verbal confrontation took place between them.”
He said that the footage does not clearly establish whether Wakode had used ChatGPT on his mobile phone to upload the question paper to seek answers. “We are closely watching the CCTV footage and sending the mobile phone for forensic audit to unravel the sequence of events,” the officer said, requesting anonymity. He added, “We have checked Wakode’s chats to see if he had contacted anyone or if they contain something that sheds light on his state of mind.”
The Crime Branch team said it will call Doolla to record his statement. “Investigators are calling the students and questioning them about what happened between the professor and Wakode inside the examination hall. We are asking the students to tell us verbatim about what the professor told Wakode and what transpired between the duo between 12.30 pm and 12.45 pm,” an officer said.
Meanwhile, IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum president Dr Rajkumar Pant has claimed that Wakode had not approached the SC/ST Cell of the institute with any complaint in the recent past. His remarks come following allegations by Wakode’s family that he was subjected to systematic institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination. An uncle of Wakode has said that the case of his nephew’s death should be handed over to the CBI.
‘Not clear whether student used ChatGPT’
An officer said the footage does not clearly establish whether Wakode had used ChatGPT on his mobile phone to upload the question paper to seek answers. “We are closely watching the CCTV footage and sending the mobile phone for forensic audit to unravel the sequence of events,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.
