According to reports, Mumbai Police sources have revealed that the Mumbai Crime Branch’s preliminary inquiry into the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode has not yet turned up any hard evidence against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla in the abetment-to-suicide accusations. The authorities are examining several aspects of the case.
The sources also mentioned that authorities have not discovered any material or eyewitnesses who can verify or substantiate claims regarding casteist slurs hurled at the deceased, who was a second-year B-tech student. The charges were made by his family.
Meanwhile, exam invigilator Doolla was captured instructing Wakoda to leave the exam room after he was caught cheating. The disclosure was made on 22nd September (Tuesday) with the help of CCTV footage of the campus that the police had obtained for analysis.
The professor’s description of the occurrence, which includes the assertion about using a cell phone, is supported by the footage. According to the authorities, Wakode appears to be staring down at something suspiciously, after which he was asked to depart from the room. Doolla then led him to a separate room where another professor and the department director were present.
Wakode was also recorded leaving and then returning to his room in the campus dorm by additional CCTV cameras positioned throughout the facility.
His family sought to use the SC/ST Act’s provisions against Doolla, arguing that their son’s suicide was caused by caste discrimination. Furthermore, the family had requested that the CBI take up the matter. According to them, he had been the subject of casteist insults throughout the previous three months, but the charge is not supported by any witness so far.
The probe till now has not uncovered adequate proof of Doolla’s involvement. Police sources have conveyed that he and two other professors who witnessed the incident, which unfolded during the examination, have been questioned. Their comments have also been recorded. According to sources, the development shows that there was no aggressive exchange or heated dispute during the incident. However, the inquiry remains in progress.
Wakode ended his life on 18th September. IIT Bombay informed that he was found using a smartphone during the exam. The administration stated that he had uploaded the question paper onto ChatGPT to get answers during the test. They firmly denied that any disciplinary action had been initiated against him at that point. Instead, the administration explained that the course instructor and the Head of the Department had counselled Sahil, reassuring him that no action would be taken that would adversely affect his overall academic career.
On 19th September, Wakode’s parents blamed the institution. “This is a case of caste discrimination. We took efforts to put our son in this institute, which has failed us. It is because of their torture that we have lost our only child. We demand justice. We will raise our complaint to the national capital,” they alleged.
His family further declared, “Our main demands include the appointment of a Crime Branch team, allowing the victim’s father and five to seven representatives to monitor the investigation, and having the entire investigation supervised by the Joint Commissioner. In case the accused seek anticipatory bail, a Special Public Prosecutor will be appointed to represent the state. Three lawyers suggested by the victim’s father will oppose the bail plea in the High Court. In addition, compensation under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act will be provided at the earliest.”
