New CCTV footage from IIT Bombay has surfaced showing second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode being questioned and escorted out of an examination hall on September 18, shortly before he returned to his hostel and died by suicide. The footage records his movements inside the examination room and nearby corridors and is now being reviewed by the Mumbai Crime Branch as part of its reconstruction of the events preceding his death.
According to ANI, the cameras show the 22-year-old being questioned during the examination before he left the hall between approximately 12:30 pm and 12:45 pm.
Investigators are also reviewing CCTV recordings from various parts of the IIT Bombay campus and hostel to determine what happened after Sahil left the examination venue.
CRIME BRANCH TRACES SAHIL’S MOVEMENTS
The Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage from multiple locations across the IIT Bombay campus to track Sahil’s movements after he exited the examination hall.
According to details emerging from the investigation, Sahil reached his hostel room at around 1:25 pm. Officials are studying footage from the campus and hostel to establish his movements between the examination centre and his room.
SAHIL’S DEATH AND THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION
Sahil, a second-year BTech student in IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on September 18.
His death led to protests on the IIT Bombay campus, while his family alleged that he had faced caste-based harassment. Mumbai Police registered a case based on the family’s complaint, including provisions under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The investigation was later handed over to the Crime Branch. The family’s allegations have not been established.
IIT Bombay initially stated that Sahil had been found using a mobile phone during the examination and had allegedly uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to obtain answers. The institute later apologised for the communication, saying it was inappropriate to describe the circumstances preceding his death before they had been established through an investigation.
FACULTY FORUM SUPPORTS PROFESSOR DOOLLA
Meanwhile, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has expressed support for Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was serving as the invigilator during the examination.
The Faculty Forum said Doolla had been carrying out his responsibilities as an invigilator and followed the institute’s prescribed procedure after allegedly detecting academic malpractice. It added that he had been temporarily relieved of his duties as Dean (Administrative Affairs) to enable an independent and impartial inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.
The Forum has also defended Doolla’s academic credentials and announced a march on campus in his support. This comes as student protests over the handling of the case continue.
STUDENTS PRESENT 18-POINT CHARTER
The protests have also resulted in students submitting an 18-point list of demands to IIT Bombay Director Professor Shireesh Kedare.
Among the demands are an independent probe into the circumstances of Sahil’s death, changes to disciplinary procedures, increased student participation in institutional decisions, improved counselling and mental-health support, faculty sensitisation programmes and the establishment of a task force comprising students, faculty members, mental-health professionals and external experts.
Student representatives have requested that an interim report be submitted by September 30 and a final report by October 15.
The Crime Branch continues to examine CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel as it works to reconstruct the sequence of events on September 18. The investigation remains underway, and authorities have yet to establish the circumstances surrounding Sahil’s death.
