Student suicide
IIT Bombay student suicide: CCTV shows Sahil Wakode caught cheating during exam
CCTV footage from the IIT Bombay examination hall has emerged in the case involving the death by suicide of 22-year-old student Sahil Wakode, showing the moments when an invigilator stopped him during an exam last Friday.
Wakode, a second-year student, is seen sitting in the front row wearing a black T-shirt when invigilator Prof Suryanarayana Doolla approaches him and speaks to him.
The student briefly gets up from his seat before sitting down again and handing his mobile phone to the invigilator, the footage shows.
CCTV footage emerges where IIT student Sahil allegedly seems to have been caught with a phone, cheating in exams. He then hands over the phone to the invigilator.
— Oxomiya Jiyori 🇮🇳 (@SouleFacts) September 23, 2026
The whole issue should have been buried and save this boy from this public ignominy, but vultures of political… pic.twitter.com/cZNlTbJ9ik
The two then appear to speak for some time. Wakode subsequently gathers his belongings and appears to leave the examination hall.
Student found dead hours later
Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room later that day.
Following his death, IIT Bombay said he had been caught using a mobile phone during the examination. The institute said he had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.
The institute also said that no disciplinary action had been initiated against Wakode at the time of his death.
The CCTV footage has emerged as investigators examine what happened during the final 20 minutes of the examination and whether the events inside the exam hall were connected to the student's death.
Parents allege harassment, caste discrimination
Wakode's parents have alleged that their son faced harassment at IIT Bombay and had previously spoken to them about caste discrimination.
His father, Ravindra Wakode, has accused Prof Doolla of discriminating against his son and demanded his arrest.
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"Doolla used to discriminate against my son. My son had told me about this discrimination," Ravindra had told reporters.
The allegations are being investigated as part of the case. They have not been established in court.
IIT faculty defends professor
The allegations against Prof Doolla have also triggered a response from IIT Bombay faculty members, who have defended the professor's actions during the examination.
Prof Rajkumar Pant, chief of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, said Doolla was performing his duty by reporting the alleged examination malpractice.
"The student indulged in malpractice during the exam. Prof Doolla reported the matter to the head of the department," Pant told NDTV.
IIT Bombay subsequently removed Prof Doolla as dean of administration affairs. Sources said he was also sent on leave.
Abetment case filed
An abetment to suicide case was later registered against several people following a complaint filed by Wakode's father.
Investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the student's death, including the events immediately before he left the examination hall and the allegations made by his family.
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