Police recovered a 15‑minute clip from a campus CCTV system that shows second‑year BTech student Sahil Ravindra Wakode walking out of an exam hall after an invigilator allegedly caught him cheating. The footage, spanning 12:30‑12:45 pm on the day of the exam, is now the centerpiece of a formal inquiry into his subsequent suicide.
Invigilator Suryanarayana Doolla is seen instructing Wakode to leave the hall, after which other cameras capture him heading to his hostel room. Forensic analysts will examine the clip for evidence of procedural lapses, while Crime Branch officer Dharamveer Bansod leads the review.
Wakode’s family has lodged a complaint under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging systematic harassment and caste‑based discrimination on campus. They say the pressure culminated in the student taking his life, a claim the institute denies.
A close friend told NDTV that the casteism allegations are unfounded, stating that the student was simply caught cheating and that the invigilator was following protocol. The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has expressed support for Doolla, who stepped down from his dean role but remains on the campus.
Management has apologized to protesting students and pledged to address 18 demands, including student representation on academic committees and mental‑health workshops for faculty. Rumors that Director Shirish Kedar had resigned proved false. The investigation will conclude with a report to the university authorities, and a hearing is expected to be scheduled within the next two weeks.