IIT Bombay student death: FIR filed against those linked to exam incident

Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against people linked to an examination incident following the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode. Students protested on campus, while police recorded statements of his family and students as the investigation continued

Mumbai: Following the death of a second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai Police have registered an FIR against all persons linked to the incident in which he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination, officials said on Saturday.

The student was found dead on the IIT Powai campus on Friday evening. This reportedly happened after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination by the authorities. His death a few hours after the incident triggered protests by students on the institute’s Powai campus.

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The incident marks the third reported suicide at the IIT Powai campus in the past six months.

Earlier in the day, an Accident Death Report (ADR) was filed in connection with the incident.

The deceased student was identified as Sahil Wakode, a resident of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal, who was pursuing his second year in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.

Officials said his family had been informed and had arrived in Mumbai. Their statements were being recorded.

Additionally, police were recording the statements of students on the campus.

The body of the deceased was sent for post-mortem.

According to the institute, Wakode had uploaded an examination question paper to ChatGPT in an attempt to obtain answers while the test was underway.

IIT Bombay said no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him following the incident. The matter was discussed with the student by the examination instructor and the Head of the Department.

They counselled him and assured him that the incident would not have an adverse impact on his academic career, the institute said.

After the discussion, Wakode returned to his hostel room. He was subsequently found dead in the room later that evening.

In a statement, IIT Bombay expressed grief over the student’s death and said it was providing support to those affected by the incident.

“The Institute is extending support to the student’s friends, classmates, faculty members, and others affected by this tragic incident,” it said, adding that the circumstances surrounding the death were being examined by the appropriate authorities.

Following the incident, a group of students gathered on the campus and launched a protest, alleging that the administration had not disclosed all details surrounding the circumstances of the student’s death.

Some protesters claimed that Wakode had been threatened with a one-year suspension over the examination incident. They alleged that such a suspension could have required him to leave the hostel and stay outside the campus.

Students further claimed that disciplinary action of this nature could potentially have delayed completion of his engineering course beyond the standard four-year duration.

Protesting students alleged that the fear and pressure associated with possible disciplinary consequences may have played a role in the student’s death. However, these allegations have not been independently verified.

Police personnel were deployed in large numbers on the campus following the protest.

An investigation is underway, and further details are awaited.