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IIT Bombay student dies after caught using ChatGPT in exam
A 22-year-old second-year BTech student of IIT Bombay, Sahil Ravindra Wakode, died by suicide in his hostel room on Friday evening after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination.…
A 22-year-old second-year BTech student of IIT Bombay, Sahil Ravindra Wakode, died by suicide in his hostel room on Friday evening after he was caught using a mobile phone during an examination. Police said he was found hanging from a ceiling fan in Hostel Number 4. No suicide note was recovered. The Powai police have registered an accidental death report and sent the body for post-mortem.
The institute stated that no disciplinary action was initiated against Wakode. The instructor and the Head of the Department counselled him and assured him the incident would not affect his academic career. However, the victim's mother alleged her son was 'beaten and tortured', demanding justice. Protesting students on campus also claimed Wakode was threatened with a one-year suspension, which the institute has denied.
This is the third reported suicide at IIT Bombay in seven months. Police are recording statements of students and staff. The investigation is ongoing.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Sources largely carry the institute's account that no disciplinary action was taken and that the student was counselled. Times Now and Siasat, however, give prominent space to the mother's allegation of torture and to student protesters who claim a suspension was threatened, framing the death as a consequence of institutional pressure. The official version overstates the adequacy of counselling without evidence, while the critical reports present unverified claims as a counter-narrative. The common ground is the lack of a clear link between the exam incident and the suicide. The police investigation will determine whether the mother's allegations have substance.
Coverage: 6 sources, 1 government-critical, 4 neutral, 1 sensationalist
Sources (6): timesnownews.com (sensationalist), timesnownews.com (2) (government critical), thefederal.com (neutral report), business-standard.com (neutral report), businesstoday.in (neutral report), siasat.com (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 6 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Updated: this story now draws on 6 sources.
