An IIT Bombay student protest intensified on the Powai campus after the final rites of second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode were completed in Yavatmal, with Mumbai Police deploying at least 150 personnel and the crime branch taking over the investigation into his death.
Wakode’s final rites were held on Sunday, a day after his family claimed his body following a post-mortem examination. His father is expected to meet the joint commissioner of police for an update in the case, according to lawyer Nikhil Kamble.
The student protests continued at IIT Bombay through the day. Police stopped students from moving towards Adi Shankaracharya Marg, which connects to the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, at around 7pm, an officer told the Times of India. Campus exit gates were barricaded after an initial group of 70 to 80 students carrying placards appeared ready to stage a sit-in on the main road.
The number of protesters later rose to around 6,000 within a few hours, according to the report. The police deployment included personnel from the Powai, Sakinaka, Meghwadi, Jogeshwari, Andheri and MIDC police stations. Additional commissioner of police Abhinav Deshmukh, deputy commissioner of police Datta Nalawade and three assistant commissioners were among the officers who managed the situation for more than 10 hours.
The Mumbai crime branch is investigating the death of Wakode, an energy science student who was found dead in his hostel room on Friday. The development came hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an examination at IIT Bombay. The report did not state that the examination incident had been established as the cause of death.
Investigators are examining CCTV footage and the mobile phone seized in the case, a Powai police officer said. No arrest had been made as of Sunday. The investigation is therefore focused on establishing the sequence of events before Wakode was found dead and determining whether any criminal offence occurred.
The police action also brought the campus into direct contact with the city’s traffic and public-order systems. Adi Shankaracharya Marg is an important road link towards the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link Road, and officers prevented the protesters from moving onto it as the gathering expanded. The barricading of the campus exit gates was part of the effort to keep the demonstration within the institute premises, according to the report.
The immediate next steps are the crime branch’s examination of CCTV footage and the seized phone, along with the expected meeting between Wakode’s father and the joint commissioner of police. The investigation had not resulted in an arrest by Sunday.
