The parents of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode have alleged that their son faced caste-based harassment and pressure before his death and have demanded the immediate arrest of Professor Suryanarayan Doolla and director Shirish Kedare.
Sahil's father, Ravindra Wakode, accused the two of harassing his son and said he wanted them arrested immediately. The Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating the circumstances surrounding Sahil's death, and the allegations form part of the ongoing investigation.
"I demand the immediate arrest of Shirish Kedare and Doolla. They harassed my son. The Crime Branch is investigating the case and everything has been mentioned in the FIR. I demand their immediate arrest. This is not suicide and we want justice," Ravindra said.
Mother says family had asked Sahil to 'adjust'
Sahil's mother, Sonali Wakode, said the family had been aware that her son was facing difficulties and had advised him to adjust, believing that continuing his studies at IIT Bombay would secure his future.
She said Sahil had told the family that caste-based remarks were being made against him.
“We made a mistake when our son told us that he was being harassed. We asked him to adjust and told him that getting admission to such an institution was a big achievement,” Sonali said.
She said the family had told Sahil that the situation would only last for a short period and that studying at the institution would benefit his future.
“But we never thought that the matter would go this far,” she said, adding that strict action should be taken against those accused.
Sonali also said she wanted justice for her son and questioned whether supporting him emotionally as parents could be considered a mistake.
“We supported our child mentally as parents. Is that our fault? He had told us about the discrimination he was facing,” she said.
About IIT Bombay suicide case
Sahil (22), a second-year BTech student in the Energy Science and Engineering department at IIT Bombay was found dead in his hostel room on September 18, hours after an incident during an examination.
According to the information available, Sahil was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. IIT Bombay had initially said that he had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to obtain answers.
The circumstances surrounding his death are now being investigated by the Mumbai Crime Branch.
Crime Branch examining CCTV footage
As part of the investigation, the Crime Branch is examining CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus and hostel to establish the sequence of events leading up to Sahil's death.
His parents have alleged that caste-based harassment and pressure contributed to the circumstances before his death. These allegations are part of the ongoing investigation, and the claims against the individuals named by the family have not been established by a court.
The investigation is expected to examine the events surrounding the examination incident as well as Sahil's interactions on campus and in his hostel in the period preceding his death.
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