A new development has taken place in the suicide case of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who took his life on 18th September. According to sources, he drafted an “apology letter” after being told to leave the examination room and brought before superiors after being caught using a mobile phone, The Indian Express reported.
An insider revealed, “It has come to light that the student was asked to leave the exam hall by the invigilator, Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, at around 12:38 pm. He was then taken to the superiors, where he signed a written apology letter for copying in the exam, after which he reached his room around 1.25 pm, as per CCTV footage.” However, he never left the room, having chosen to end his own life.
Interestingly, submitting an apology letter often results in a reduced or completely waived disciplinary penalty, even though the regulations in educational institutions rarely contain written guidelines that formally guarantee forbearance. Administrative bodies, management and oversight committees frequently interpret such a timely and genuine submission as evidence of accountability and willingness to cooperate.
It makes them more likely to exercise their discretionary authority in a favourable manner. Hence, students have been known to present such letters as acknowledgement for leniency in punishment or to secure forgiveness.
According to an officer from the Special Investigation Team (SIT), which was established by the Mumbai Police to look into the matter, they have written to the institution requesting that all relevant records be turned over. The official mentioned, “Our probe focused on establishing whether the professor did something that pushed Wakode to commit suicide and whether he faced any discrimination due to his caste. While we will look at procedures that were followed in this case, usually procedural lapses are dealt with at the institute level.”
The crime branch discovered that the deceased spoke with a friend at around 1:25 pm, an hour after returning to his hostel room. The police conveyed that he apologised during their conversation and informed her that he was “copying” to make up for his poor performance on the previous paper. The statement disclosed that after he failed to respond to her repeated calls, she called other people who were staying nearer to his hostel room.
The authorities have so far recorded testimony from Sahil Wakode’s parents, students and other acquaintances. Additionally, they have gathered CCTV footage from the hallway and examination hall. “We will soon be recording the statement of Doolla after speaking to others,” an insider stated.
Sahil Wakode’s death sparked protests and accusations of caste-based discrimination, while Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who caught him cheating, was sent on leave and also became the subject of a police case. The 2nd-year BTech student’s parents alleged that Professor Doolla had been mentally harassing and hurling casteist slurs against him for 3 months at the behest of IIT Bombay’s Director Shireesh Kedare.
The claims have been strongly dismissed by the institution. It must also be mentioned that no single complaint was ever filed against Doolla or Kedare, either with the administration or the SC/ST cell of IIT Bombay during Wakode’s time at the university. Furthermore, CCTV footage of the cheating incident also surfaced on social media, showing Wakode handing over the phone to the invigilator.
