Overview
- Police and the Mumbai Crime Branch are investigating the September 18 death of second-year student Sahil Wakode after reports said he was found hours after an alleged exam incident involving use of ChatGPT.
- Powai police filed an FIR naming Professor Suryanarayana Doolla in an abetment-to-suicide case and the Crime Branch has recorded statements from more than 40 people, including the institute director and the professor.
- Wakode’s parents have maintained a prolonged hunger strike at Azad Maidan demanding an external probe and accountability from IIT Bombay’s leadership.
- On October 14 student groups and Ambedkarite organisations led a ‘Chalo IIT Bombay’ march and videos show Mumbai Police detaining protesters trying to enter the campus while the police denied claims that Wakode’s father was detained.
- Protesters and signatories have called for an external inquiry, the director’s resignation and clarification on revised exam-malpractice rules and alleged selective leaks that critics say fueled a damaging media narrative.