Police have recorded statements from 20 people, ranging from classmates to invigilators, since the death of 22‑year‑old Sahil Wakode on September 18, 2024. The interviewees include those who sat in the same examination hall, the exam supervisor, and several administrative officers at IIT Bombay.
The parents of Sahil, alleging caste discrimination at the institute, staged a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Thursday, demanding a thorough probe. That same day, Union Minister of State for Social Justice Ramdas Athawale paid a visit to the campus, met with the director, and toured Wakode’s hostel room, insisting that the institute take “appropriate action against those responsible.”
Forensic experts are attempting to bypass the pattern lock on Wakode’s phone, which still displays missed call notifications. The device is under a legal hold, and the police are hoping the data will shed light on whether the student’s death was a suicide or a foul play. Meanwhile, CCTV footage from the exam hall is being reconstructed to map Sahil’s movements before he was escorted out.
IIT Bombay faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, cited in the FIR for alleged abetment to suicide on caste grounds, has been placed on leave to allow an impartial investigation. The institute has issued two apologies for earlier statements that the student had allegedly used ChatGPT during the exam, a claim now deemed misleading.
The police will present their findings to the Mumbai Crime Branch within the week, after which the institute faces potential legal action under the Anti‑Discrimination Act.