CNN Central News & Network-ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: The Mumbai Crime Branch has recorded the statements of 40 people so far in connection with the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, a police official said. The statements include those of Wakode’s parents, fellow students, hostel staff and other people connected with the case.
Wakode, a 22-year-old second-year B.Tech student, was found dead in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. The circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated by the Crime Branch.
Investigators have sent two mobile phones, a laptop and a tablet belonging to Wakode to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Kalina. Police are examining the digital devices to retrieve information that could help reconstruct events leading up to his death.
The statement of Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has been named in an FIR filed on the basis of a complaint by Wakode’s father, has not yet been recorded, according to police. Doolla has been booked for alleged abetment to suicide.
Wakode’s father has alleged that his son faced caste-based abuse and feared being implicated in a false case. These allegations are part of the ongoing investigation and have not been established as findings of fact. Wakode’s parents have also been staging a hunger strike in Mumbai and demanding action in the case.
IIT Bombay had earlier constituted a 10-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death. The Crime Branch is continuing to examine witness statements, forensic evidence and other material to establish the sequence of events.
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