IIT Bombay Row: Police questions 20 people, examine CCTV and mobile phone data

Police have recorded the statements of 20 individuals, including students and staff members, in connection with the alleged suicide of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, officials said on Friday. Efforts are also being made to access call logs and messages from his phone, they said.

According to preliminary details, 22-year-old Sahil, a student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, went straight to his hostel room after leaving the examination hall on September 18. When he did not emerge from his room by around 7 pm, the door was opened and he was found dead inside.

Among the 20 persons questioned are students who were present in the examination hall alongside Sahil, as well as invigilators and various administrative officials from the premier institute. Investigators said Sahil's mobile phone was secured with a pattern lock, limiting immediate access to call logs and messages, though several missed call notifications were visible on the display screen. Forensic efforts to access the device are underway, they said.

Also read IIT Bombay postpones mid-semester exams amid students protest

IIT Bombay faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, named in the FIR which alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination, has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe into the case. Sahil's parents Ravindra and Sonali Wakode began a hunger strike at Azad Maidan in Mumbai on Thursday, alleging that their son repeatedly faced caste discrimination at the institute and demanding action against his 'tormentors'.

Meanwhile, IIT B has apologised twice over its communication that had indicated that Sahil died by suicide hours after allegedly being caught using ChatGPT in an exam. Some TV channels aired CCTV footage from the examination hall that captured Sahil's movements before a professor approached him and led him away from the hall after he was allegedly caught copying. However, there was no word from the police on this issue. Police officials said they are using CCTV footage and the statements recorded so far to reconstruct the exact sequence of events leading up to the tragedy. Further investigation into the matter is ongoing, they added.