Mumbai: The city crime branch, probing the alleged abetment to suicide of IIT Bombay second-year BTech student Sahil Wakode (20), on Friday recorded the statement of IIT director Shireesh Kedare for around eight hours. Police wanted to know from Kedare if the standard operating procedure (SOP) for dealing with students caught copying using unauthorised material during examinations was followed in his case. Police also questioned him on how Wakode was able to sneak his mobile phone into the examination hall or whether there was no frisking of students entering the exam hall. Officials said that the investigation has not progressed much as the mobile phone experts engaged to open Wakode’s passcode haven’t been able to unlock his mobile. Police had on Thursday recorded the statement of professor Suryanarayana Doolla.Meanwhile, eight students of IIT-B entered their second day of fast on Saturday. They are demanding “accountability” from the current administration over a spate of campus suicides.Ravindra Wakode, father of Sahil Wakode who died by suicide, sought permission to visit the IIT-B campus to support the protesting students; however, no permission was received till late evening. IITB, meanwhile, opened its main gate for visitors and close to 1,500 students from across Maharashtra are expected on campus on Sunday. Sahil’s parents plan to continue their hunger strike and seek fresh permission to sit in Azad Maidan from Monday.
