IIT Bombay student Wakode apologised for cheating in semester exam, sought second chance

A 22-year-old IIT Bombay student who died by suicide hours after being caught cheating in an exam last month had submitted a written apology to the institute seeking a second chance, police said on Tuesday. The Mumbai crime branch, which is investigating the death, has recorded statements of more than 40 people, including IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare and professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who faces allegations of harassment and caste-based discrimination from the deceased student's parents, an official said.

Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student, was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after being caught while allegedly using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. The official said that after being caught allegedly cheating in the examination, Wakode, in a written statement to the institute, said he had not prepared well for the paper, acknowledged his mistake, and sought a second chance. An FIR was registered by the Powai police against Professor Doolla following a complaint lodged by the student's father.

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According to the police, Professor Doolla, who has been named an accused in the abetment to suicide case, has denied allegations of harassment levelled against him by Wakode's parents in his statement to the police. The deceased student's parents, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode, started their hunger strike at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai on September 24 seeking justice for their deceased son, alleging caste discrimination at the premier institute.