Mumbai, Sept. 23 -- IIT Bombay on Wednesday set up a 10-member high-level committee to probe the circumstances surrounding the alleged suicide of B Tech student Sahil Wakode, an official said.
Faculty member Suryanarayan Doolla, named in the FIR in the case, which alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination, has been sent on leave to facilitate an impartial probe into the case, sources said.
Police appealed to the public and media to refrain from speculation, spreading misinformation or drawing premature conclusions in connection with Sahil's death.
MNS president Raj Thackeray said caste is a "favourite topic" for those driven by power politics and students should not get entangled in it, after allegations of caste-based discrimination linked to the suicide of an IIT Bombay student.
The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) demanded a thorough investigation into the case and stressed that action should be taken against whoever is found responsible after the probe.
The probe panel, constituted by the board of Indian Institute of Technology Bombay on Wednesday, was also likely to question Doolla, an official said.
The Mumbai Police Crime Branch is already conducting a probe into the death of Sahil, who was found hanging in his hostel room on the evening of September 18, hours after being caught while allegedly using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester examination.
Mumbai Police, in a statement, assured that the investigation was being conducted "diligently and impartially, exploring all possible angles."
"Mumbai Police appeals to individuals and the public to refrain from speculation, spreading misinformation, or drawing premature conclusions. Media is requested to follow information transmitted through official channels only," the statement said.
Wakode's parents have claimed that he had told them about the caste-based slurs he faced. They demanded the immediate arrest of IIT Bombay Director Shirish Kedare and Doolla, who has been removed as the dean of Administrative Affairs following protests by students and political activists.
Meanwhile, tension prevailed for some time outside IIT Bombay at Powai here on Wednesday after Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) leader Sujat Ambedkar led a protest and tried to enter the campus with other activists blaming the institute's administration for B Tech student Sahil Wakode's death.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.