Mumbai, Oct 3: Maharashtra Congress in-charge Sirivella Prasad and Maharashtra Congress State President Harshwardhan Sapkal met with the family of IIT-Bombay student Sahil Wakode, who committed suicide due to alleged caste discrimination, at the Shanti Ashram.

During the meeting, Sahil Wakode’s family discussed the matter in detail with Congress leaders.

All India Congress Committee Secretary B.M. Sandeep, Rehana Chishti, U.B. Venkatesh, and Mumbai Congress President and MP Varsha Gaikwad, among other leaders, were present.

This comes just two days after Mumbai Congress Youth President Zeenat Shabrin met with Sahil Wakode’s family.

Last month, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi spoke to Sahil Wakode’s family over the phone and assured them of his support in their pursuit of justice. Gandhi expressed solidarity with the family and assured them of all possible support in seeking justice for Sahil.

Later on September 24, Varsha Gaikwad visited Azad Maidan to meet Sahil Wakode’s father, who began a sit-in protest demanding action against those responsible for his son’s death.

Meanwhile, the Mumbai Crime Branch has recorded the statement of Professor Suryanarayan Doolla. The professor was questioned for approximately eight hours, during which his statement was recorded. He denied all allegations levelled against him.

Wakode’s parents had said in their police complaint that Professor Doolla had harassed their son. Acting on the allegations, the Crime Branch questioned the professor about the events leading up to Wakode’s death and his interactions with the student.

During the interrogation, Professor Doolla denied all the allegations levelled against him, according to sources.

The Mumbai Crime Branch is also expected to summon IIT-Bombay Director Shireesh Kedare soon to record his statement as part of the ongoing investigation.

Meanwhile, the police are examining CCTV footage from the examination hall to gather crucial information about the events and activities preceding Wakode’s death.

The Crime Branch has so far recorded statements from around 50 people, including Wakode’s parents and classmates, as part of its probe.

CCTV footage from September 18 reportedly showed Professor Doolla pulling Wakode aside after allegedly catching him using a mobile phone during an examination.

Following Wakode’s death, IIT-Bombay had said that the student had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. The institute had also stated that no disciplinary action was taken against him in connection with the incident.

Wakode’s father, Ravindra Wakode, had claimed that his son told him about being discriminated against by Professor Doolla.

“My son had told me about this discrimination, but I told him that it is difficult to secure admission to IIT and advised him to bear with it,” he had told reporters.

Mumbai Police subsequently registered a case of abetment to suicide based on a complaint lodged by Wakode’s father.

The IIT-Bombay faculty, however, came out in support of Professor Doolla, stating that he was being targeted for merely performing his professional duties.

“The student indulged in malpractice during the examination. Prof Doolla reported the matter to the head of the department. If a professor is being vilified just for discharging his duties, then it is a problem for the entire teaching community in the country,” said Prof Rajkumar Pant, chief of the IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum.

Mumbai, Oct 3: Bandra Police have arrested a fake policeman who intimidated people by falsely impersonating a police officer in Mumbai’s Bandra area. The accused, a car mechanic, was held and a car without a number plate, along with a blue police cap, were seized.

Police said Constables Nikhilesh Hanumant Sable and Sangve, posted at Bandra Police Station, were patrolling Dr. V. Raghunath Marg when they noticed a suspicious white car parked in front of the White House building.

The car had no number plate and all its windows were covered. On looking inside, the policemen noticed a blue police cap placed on the front dashboard.

As the car was locked from inside, Constable Sable informed the Bandra Traffic Department. Traffic Police Constable Anil Koli arrived at the spot with a towing van at around 7.40 p.m.

When the towing operation began, a man arrived at the spot and allegedly started misbehaving with the traffic police personnel and towing staff. During the argument, a woman also stepped out of the car.

Police questioned the man about the police cap and the vehicle without a number plate. However, he allegedly gave vague answers. During questioning, his identity was established and police found that he was not a police officer.

The accused has been identified as Fahad Farid Khan, 37, a car mechanic and resident of Bandra West. Police said he was unable to produce any documents related to the vehicle.

According to the investigation, Khan posed as a police officer by keeping a police cap on the dashboard of his car, apparently to intimidate members of the public and traffic police personnel.

Bandra Police have registered a case against the accused and arrested him. Further investigation is underway to determine where the accused obtained the seized vehicle from and establish other details related to the case.

Mumbai Police said the investigation is ongoing.

Kolkata, Sep 3: Tension prevailed in the Gaighata area of West Bengal’s North 24 Parganas district after the body of a 13-year-old schoolgirl was found hanging at her home, police said on Saturday. The family has alleged that the minor was raped and blackmailed by a 32-year-old local youth, and claimed that she may have taken the extreme step due to mental distress.

The Class 8 student was found hanging by her family members on Friday night. Police reached the spot after being informed, recovered the body, and sent it to the hospital for an autopsy. Police said the exact cause of her death is being investigated.

According to the family, the girl had allegedly been in contact with the 32-year-old youth for about a year. They alleged that a few months ago, the youth called her to his house, where his mother allegedly took the girl into a room and locked the door from outside. The family further alleged that the youth sexually assaulted the minor inside the room.

The family also accused the youth of blackmailing the girl with objectionable photographs and videos. The girl’s mother alleged that the accused used the material to intimidate her daughter and force her to meet him. She claimed that the girl was sometimes called away on the pretext of going to school or for other reasons, and was threatened with the circulation of the photographs and videos if she refused.

The girl’s father said the family initially did not know about her contact with the youth. After learning about it, he warned his daughter against maintaining the relationship. However, he alleged that the youth continued to meet her and even threatened to attack her with acid.

The family has also alleged that the girl was forcibly made to wear conch shell bangles and vermilion at the youth’s house. They claimed that she did not consent to the alleged marriage and was later brought back home by her mother.

Following the girl’s death, the family submitted a written complaint at Gaighata police station and demanded strict punishment against the accused. Police said they have launched an investigation based on the complaint.

No arrest has been reported so far. Police said the allegations, circumstances surrounding the girl’s death and the other claims made by the family are being examined as part of the investigation.