Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Sep 24: Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke to the parents of deceased IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode and assured them of all possible help in their efforts to seek justice for their son, party sources said on Thursday.
Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and Maharashtra Congress chief Shivraj More were present with Sahil's parents when the call took place.
According to sources, Gandhi made a video call to Ravindra and Sonali Wakode while they were travelling to Mumbai from Washim district. During the nearly 17-minute conversation, he assured them that he stood by the family and would extend all possible assistance, the sources said.
Sahil's parents have announced an indefinite hunger strike outside the IIT Bombay gate from 11 am on Thursday.
The 22-year-old second-year BTech student of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering was found hanging in his hostel room on September 18, hours after he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination. His parents have alleged that he had told them about facing caste-based slurs.
Meanwhile, IIT Bombay on Wednesday constituted a 10-member high-level committee to examine the circumstances surrounding Sahil's death. The panel includes a former vigilance officer and student representatives and has been asked to submit its report within a week.
The institute has also asked Professor Suryanarayan Doolla to go on leave. He has been accused of inciting the student's death. The institute said further action would be considered after the committee submits its report and the investigation is completed.
The institute's board also considered demands raised by students and, according to sources, agreed to most of them except the demand for resignation.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is separately investigating Sahil's death.
CCTV footage retrieved from the examination hall, campus and hostel is also being examined by the Crime Branch as part of the investigation. Footage from the examination hall reportedly records Sahil's movements between around 12:30 pm and 12:45 pm on September 19, with about 15 to 20 minutes remaining before the examination was scheduled to end at 1 pm.