Ravindra Wakode, father of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, has said he will begin a hunger strike at Azad Maidan on Monday and appealed to students to continue their protest. In a message to students, Wakode urged them to stand with his family and not believe claims made by others about their campaign. He alleged that police had prevented him from entering the IIT Bombay campus in Powai despite several visits. “Even if I die, I will not give up this fight,” Wakode said, calling on students to keep their movement going. Meanwhile, the Mumbai Police Crime Branch, which is investigating Sahil’s death, has learnt that the 22-year-old student spoke to several friends and expressed regret after he was allegedly caught copying during an examination on September 18, hours before he was found dead in his hostel room. The Crime Branch has so far recorded statements from more than 25 people, including IIT-Bombay students and hostel staff. Some of those questioned were friends who had spoken to Sahil after the examination incident. According to police, he was caught allegedly copying at around 12.40 pm and later returned to his hostel, where he spoke to some friends before being found dead later that evening. An officer told Hindustan Times that Sahil spoke to a female friend around 2.30 pm and expressed regret over the examination. He reportedly told her that he had made a mistake, that his thermodynamics paper had not gone well and that the copying incident had further added to his distress.
As part of the investigation, police have sent Sahil’s iPhone to the Kalina Forensic Science Laboratory for examination. Investigators are also seeking information related to his WhatsApp account and may approach Apple for assistance if forensic experts are unable to access the device. The digital evidence is expected to help investigators establish the sequence of events surrounding the examination incident and examine allegations made by Sahil’s family of caste-based harassment. The Crime Branch has also sent CCTV footage from the institute to the Kalina forensic laboratory for analysis. Police are seeking the necessary certificates under the Information Technology Act so that the footage can be produced as evidence, if required.
