The parents of Sahil Wakode, an IIT student who ended his life on September 18, have moved Bombay High Court seeking a fair and independent investigation into his death by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) or a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
The petition alleged that police had failed to probe the case with the seriousness it merits and, hence, sought the probe to be monitored by a retired judge.
As per the application filed in the special court through advocate Siddharth Ingle, the institution, with malafide intentions, released to the media CCTV footage purportedly related to an examination incident, private telephone conversations, and details of an alleged apology letter written by Sahil after purportedly being caught cheating. Sahil’s parents have also filed an application before a special court assigned to hear cases under the Scheduled Castes/ Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for a court-monitored investigation into his death. The petition alleged that police had failed to probe the case with the seriousness it merits and, hence, sought the probe to be monitored by a retired judge. In the HC court petition, the parents have also sought a direction to the institution to secure all CCTV footage of that day and to ensure no one influences any student or faculty who witnessed the events of the day their son killed himself.
Several reports attributed the information about the written apology to unnamed “police sources”, the application noted, claiming this was done to build a one-sided narrative and tarnish the deceased student’s character.
On their complaint, Powai police had earlier registered a case of abetment of suicide and other offences.
