Investigation Underway Following Death of IIT Bombay Student

The Mumbai Police Crime Branch has begun analysing CCTV footage from the examination hall, campus grounds, and hostel premises to trace the movements of student Sahil Wakode before he was found dead, an official said on Tuesday (September 22, 2026).

Wakode (22), a second-year B Tech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, ended his life in his hostel room on the Powai campus on September 18 evening, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination, as per officials.

The case was transferred to the Crime Branch on September 19 for further probe following widespread student protests on campus.

According to officials, CCTV cameras inside the examination hall captured Wakode's movements before a professor approached him and led him away from other students after he was allegedly caught copying.

Subsequent footage showed Wakode walking across the campus to his hostel room after exiting the examination hall. He was not seen leaving his room thereafter, an official said.

The student was later found dead inside his hostel room.

Investigators are compiling and cross-referencing camera feeds from multiple locations across the institute to map Wakode's exact movements and reconstruct the sequence of events preceding the incident.

The campus witnessed protests following the student's suicide, prompting the police to step up security measures.

Student representatives said their agitation was not aimed at defending academic misconduct, but rather at highlighting broader systemic issues and demanding institutional reforms.

A student delegation has submitted a list of demands to the IIT Bombay Director, who acknowledged the concerns and assured implementation within specific timelines, officials said.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).