Mumbai: Maharashtra Congress in-charge Sirivella Prasad and Maharashtra Congress State President Harshwardhan Sapkal met with the family of IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who committed suicide due to alleged caste discrimination, at the Shanti Ashram.
During the meeting, Sahil Wakode’s family discussed the matter in detail with Congress leaders.
All India Congress Committee Secretary B.M. Sandeep, Rehana Chishti, U.B. Venkatesh, and Mumbai Congress President and MP Varsha Gaikwad, among other leaders, were present.
This comes just two days after Mumbai Congress Youth President Zeenat Shabrin met with Sahil Wakode’s family.
Last month, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sahil Wakode’s family over the phone and assured them of his support in their pursuit of justice. Gandhi expressed solidarity with the family and assured them of all possible support in seeking justice for Sahil.
Later on September 24, Varsha Gaikwad visited Azad Maidan to meet Sahil Wakode’s father, who began a sit-in protest demanding action against those responsible for his son’s death.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch has recorded the statement of Professor Suryanarayan Doolla. The professor was questioned for approximately eight hours, during which his statement was recorded. He denied all allegations levelled against him.
Wakode’s parents had said in their police complaint that Professor Doolla had harassed their son. Acting on the allegations, the Crime Branch questioned the professor about the events leading up to Wakode’s death and his interactions with the student.
During the interrogation, Professor Doolla denied all the allegations levelled against him, according to sources.
The Mumbai Crime Branch is also expected to summon IIT-Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare soon to record his statement as part of the ongoing investigation.
Meanwhile, the police are examining CCTV footage from the examination hall to gather crucial information about the events and activities preceding Wakode’s death.
The Crime Branch has so far recorded statements from around 50 people, including Wakode’s parents and classmates, as part of its probe.
CCTV footage from September 18 reportedly showed Professor Doolla pulling Wakode aside after allegedly catching him using a mobile phone during an examination.
Following Wakode’s death, IIT-Bombay had said that the student had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute had also stated that no disciplinary action was taken against him in connection with the incident.
Wakode’s father, Ravindra Wakode, had claimed that his son told him about being discriminated against by Professor Doolla.
“My son had told me about this discrimination, but I told him that it is difficult to secure admission to IIT and advised him to bear with it,” he had told reporters.
Mumbai Police subsequently registered a case of abetment to suicide based on a complaint lodged by Wakode’s father.
The IIT-Bombay faculty, however, came out in support of Professor Doolla, stating that he was being targeted for merely performing his professional duties.
“The student indulged in malpractice during the examination. Prof Doolla reported the matter to the head of the department. If a professor is being vilified just for discharging his duties, then it is a problem for the entire teaching community in the country,” said Prof Rajkumar Pant, chief of the IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum.
(IANS)
