- Sahil Wakode called friend, confessed 'mistake' hours before death.
- Police questioned 25 people; student's iPhone sent for forensic.
- .IIT Bombay retracted statement, apologized for linking death to cheating.
In the latest updates in the IIT Bombay student suicide case, it has been revealed that the student told a friend that he made a “mistake”, hours before his death. The Mumbai police, so far, have questioned 25 people, including students and teaching staff on the campus. Some of the statements recorded were from friends who contacted the deceased, Sahil Wakode, on the day of his death.
The Phone Call
Wakode was caught cheating in an examination on September 18 at around 12.40 pm and was found hanging at his hostel the same evening. At 2.30 pm, he allegedly called one of his female friends; he regretted committing the mistake. He said that the thermodynamics paper did not go well, and now this (cheating), HT quoted an official as saying.
The second-year student’s iPhone has been sent for forensic examination to access all the data. The team would contact the Apple team if they won’t be able to unlock the device. The WhatsApp data would also be retrieved. Investigators said the digital evidence would help them examine the circumstances surrounding the examination incident as well as allegations made by the student’s family of caste-based harassment.
Earlier, Wakode’s parents said their son had complained that he was being subjected to caste slurs and being discriminated against. “Be patient, endure it,” his father advised him, pointing at the big, bright future that lay ahead of him.
IIT Bombay Apologises
On Monday, IIT Bombay backtracked on its earlier statements, in which it claimed that Sahil cheated in an exam using ChatGPT, linking his death to it.
The institute issued a statement on X, withdrawing its comments about the suicide of the student and apologising. "In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process," IIT Bombay wrote.
"We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil. The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities," the post added.
Wakode’s parents demanded the immediate arrest of IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedare and Professor Suryanarayan Doolla, who has been removed as the dean of Administrative Affairs following protests by students and political activists.