New Delhi: In the wake of the suicide of an IIT Bombay student, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached out to the grieving family of Sahil Wakode, speaking directly to his parents and pledging complete assistance as they pursue justice for their son.
Party sources told PTI that Gandhi placed a video call to the Wakode family while they were travelling from Washim district to Mumbai.
During the nearly 17-minute conversation, he told them, “I am with you,” and assured them of all help in their fight for justice.
Indian Youth Congress president Uday Bhanu Chib and Maharashtra unit chief Shivraj More were with Sahil’s parents when the call took place.
The interaction came just hours before the couple announced they would begin an indefinite hunger strike outside the IIT Bombay gate from 11 am on Thursday.
IIT Bombay has already constituted a 10-member high-level committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of the 22-year-old B-Tech student.
Sahil Wakode was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, shortly after he was allegedly caught using his mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.
Parents Seek Arrests, Visit Crime Branch
In an initial statement, IIT Bombay said the student was found using his phone during the exam and had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers, adding that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.
Condoling his death, the institute later apologised for making public remarks before investigations were complete.
Demanding justice, Sahil’s parents have declared they will sit on an indefinite hunger strike in front of the IIT Bombay gate from 11 am on Thursday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Ravindra and Sonali Wakode visited the Mumbai Crime Branch, demanding the immediate arrest of named faculty member Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedare.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is already probing the case.
Some TV channels on Wednesday aired CCTV footage from the examination hall that captured Sahil’s movements before a professor approaches him and leads him away from the hall after he was allegedly caught copying.
