Mumbai: An Accident Death Report (ADR) has been registered following the death of a second-year student of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, officials said on Saturday, September 19.
The student, identified as Sahil Ravindra Wakode from Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district, was pursuing his second year in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. He was found dead in his hostel room on the Powai campus on Friday evening.
According to IIT Bombay, Wakode was found using a mobile phone during an examination earlier that day. The institute said he had uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers during the test.
Police have registered an ADR and are recording statements from the student's family and other students on campus. His family has reached Mumbai, while the body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The investigation is underway to establish the circumstances surrounding his death.
IIT Bombay Says No Disciplinary Action Was Initiated
IIT Bombay said no disciplinary proceedings had been initiated against Wakode following the examination incident.
According to the institute, the matter was discussed with him by the examination instructor and the Head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. The two officials counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.
Wakode subsequently returned to his hostel room, where he was later found dead.
The institute expressed grief over the death and said it was extending support to the student's friends, classmates, faculty members and others affected by the incident. It also said the circumstances surrounding the death were being examined by the appropriate authorities.
Students Protest on Campus
The death led to protests by students at the Powai campus. Some students alleged that Wakode had been threatened with a possible one-year suspension over the examination incident.
Protesting students claimed that such action could have required him to leave the hostel and stay outside the campus, potentially affecting the timeline for completing his course. They also questioned whether academic pressure or the handling of the examination incident contributed to his death.
These claims have not been independently established. IIT Bombay's account states that no disciplinary action had been initiated and that Wakode had been assured that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career.
Police personnel were deployed on the campus following the protests, while officials continued recording statements.
The incident is reportedly the third student suicide at IIT Bombay's Powai campus in the past seven months. Authorities are investigating the circumstances surrounding Wakode's death, and further details are awaited.
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