IIT Bombay student death investigation transferred to Crime Branch

The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the death of Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, who was found dead in his hostel room on September 18. The case has sparked campus protests and a debate over the circumstances leading to his death. An FIR was registered on September 19 by Powai police against Professor Suryanarayan Doolla and other unnamed individuals. The charges include abetment of suicide under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and violations of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act. The investigation was transferred to the Crime Branch on the night of September 19, with an Assistant Commissioner of Police assigned to lead the probe. The incident occurred hours after Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a midsemester examination. According to IIT Bombay, Wakode had uploaded the question paper to the AI platform ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute stated that no disciplinary action was initiated against him.