IIT Bombay student’s death: FIR against people linked to exam incident

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

The student, identified as Sahil Wakode, was found dead at the IIT Powai campus on Friday evening, a few hours after he was reportedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination. His death triggered protests by students on the campus.

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

Earlier on Saturday, police had filed an Accident Death Report (ADR) in connection with the incident.

Wakode, a resident of Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, was pursuing his second year in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering.

Police said his family had been informed and had arrived in Mumbai. Their statements are being recorded, while statements of students on the campus are also being taken.

The student’s body has been sent for post-mortem examination.

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

The institute said no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against him following the incident. The matter was discussed with him by the examination instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.

After the discussion, Wakode returned to his hostel room. He was subsequently found dead in his 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 Wakode’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 the completion of his engineering course beyond the standard four-year duration.

The protesting students alleged that fear and pressure associated with possible disciplinary consequences may have played a role in the student’s death. 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.

With IANS inputs