The final rites of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode were completed in his hometown in Yavatmal on Sunday as protests over his death continued at the Powai campus and the Mumbai Crime Branch examined CCTV footage and his seized phone as part of the investigation.
Wakode, a second-year BTech student in energy science, was found dead in his hostel room on Friday, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination, according to the report. His family claimed his body after a post-mortem examination the following day.
The Mumbai Crime Branch has taken over the investigation into the death by suicide. A Powai police officer said investigators would examine CCTV footage and the mobile phone seized during the inquiry. No arrest had been made until Sunday.
The investigation is taking place alongside continuing student protests at the campus. Police stopped students from moving towards Adi Shankaracharya Marg, which connects to the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, at around 7pm on Sunday, an officer told the Times of India.
The campus exit gates were barricaded after 70 to 80 students carrying placards appeared ready to stage a sit-in on the main road. Their number rose to about 6,000 within a few hours, according to the report.
At least 150 police personnel from Powai, Sakinaka, Meghwadi, Jogeshwari, Andheri and MIDC police stations were deployed at IIT Bombay’s Powai campus to manage the situation. The deployment included Additional Commissioner of Police Abhinav Deshmukh, Deputy Commissioner of Police Datta Nalawade and three assistant commissioners. The police force controlled the situation for more than 10 hours.
Wakode’s father is expected to meet the joint commissioner of police for an update on the case, lawyer Nikhil Kamble said. The meeting is expected to provide the family with information on the progress of the investigation.
The police inquiry will examine the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death, including the events preceding it and material collected from the hostel and campus. The Crime Branch’s review of CCTV recordings and the seized phone remains part of the ongoing investigation.
