CCTV Footage Emerges in IIT Bombay Student Death Case as Calls Grow for Professor’s Reinstatement

The death of a young engineering student at one of India’s premier institutes has once again thrown the spotlight on the pressures of campus life, academic integrity, and how institutions respond when tragedy strikes. On September 18, 2026, Sahil Wakode, a second-year BTech student in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT Bombay, was found dead in his hostel room. Hours earlier, he had been in a mid-semester examination. According to circulating CCTV footage examined by investigators and reported across multiple outlets, Wakode can be seen looking at or using a mobile phone during the paper. Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was invigilating, approached him, took the phone and exam material, and escorted him out of the hall. The Mumbai Police registered an FIR the next day based on a complaint by Wakode’s father. The complaint alleged that the professor had subjected the student to caste-based harassment and mental pressure for several months. Provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and sections relating to abetment of suicide were invoked. Professor Doolla was removed from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs following student protests. The institute later sent him on leave and constituted a 10-member panel to examine the circumstances of the death. The Crime Branch is now leading the investigation and has been reviewing CCTV recordings from the exam hall, campus and hostel. IIT Bombay initially issued a statement describing the examination incident. It later apologised, stating that it was inappropriate to characterise the events before a proper investigation had established the facts. The institute has maintained that no formal disciplinary action had been initiated against the student at the time. With the footage becoming public, activist and commentator Tehseen Poonawalla, associated with Team Bharat, has called for an unconditional apology to Professor Doolla, his immediate reinstatement, withdrawal of the SC-ST Act case, and compensation. In his statement, Poonawalla also stressed the need for empathy and support for Sahil’s grieving family. The case remains under active investigation. Police are piecing together the sequence of events between the examination and the discovery of the body. Faculty members at the institute have publicly backed the professor, saying he followed established procedures for reporting academic malpractice. Students had earlier protested, demanding accountability and institutional reforms. For parents and aspirants looking at the IITs, the episode underscores the intense academic environment these campuses create. Catching exam malpractice is part of maintaining standards, yet the speed with which a student’s death turned into allegations, protests, administrative action and now public demands for reversal shows how quickly trust can erode. Mental health support systems, clear counselling protocols after any exam incident, and careful handling of sensitive complaints remain areas that institutes continue to refine. As the Crime Branch probe and the institute’s internal panel continue their work, the focus for the education community is on ensuring that both the family’s loss and the principles of fairness in academic life receive due attention. The coming days will reveal what the evidence ultimately establishes.