Mumbai: Youth Congress members on Wednesday staged a protest outside IIT Bombay following the death of student Sahil Wakode, raising slogans and demanding justice.
Visuals of the protest that surfaced online showed demonstrators raising slogans and holding placards demanding justice for Wakode.
Speaking to the media during the protest, Youth Congress Vice President Ajay Kumar Mishra said the demonstration was against IIT Bombay's recent statement concerning allegations that Wakode had been caught cheating during an examination.
"Today's protest is regarding the initial statement released by IIT Bombay, claiming that the student was cheating in the exam using ChatGPT, after which he committed suicide. They framed the entire suicide around this cheating allegation," Mishra said.
Youth Congress supports family
Responding to a question about Wakode's parents' reported decision to protest if their demands were not addressed, Mishra said the Youth Congress supported the family.
Referring to an earlier protest following Wakode's death, Mishra said, "During our earlier demonstration, we weren't even allowed to stand for two minutes; we were arrested and detained at the police station for four hours."
Family seeks arrests in case
Wakode, a second-year BTech student in IIT Bombay's Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on the Powai campus on Sep 18.
Meanwhile, advocate Nikhil Kamble, speaking on behalf of Wakode's parents, said earlier in the day that the family wanted those named in the case to be arrested.
"The arrest of those named is necessary for the investigation to progress. As for various claims being made by various forums, we do not wish to comment on them. Such claims will continue to come and go, and reacting to every statement serves no purpose," Kamble said.
Family seeks fair investigation
Kamble further said the family wanted a fair investigation by the Mumbai Crime Branch and action against those found responsible. "We are seeking justice for the child and want justice," he said.
Furthermore, Wakode's parents have alleged that their son faced caste-based harassment and torture. However, the allegations and the circumstances surrounding his death remain under investigation, with further details into the matter awaited.
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