00:00Let me quickly cut across to Mumbai and bring into this conversation India today's Devesh Singh
00:04who's accessed that CCTV image. Devesh, this is now a matter of major investigation
00:10and there has been unrest or a lot of disquiet on the campus.
00:16What is it that investigators in this case have been able to glean from this CCTV image
00:24and what is the corroborative evidence that they've been able to piece together?
00:31Well, the sequence of events as pointed out by Akshita earlier that what had happened on that day
00:38when examination was going on, Sahil, the deceased, was in the classroom writing his exam
00:45and between 12.30 and 12.45 p.m. this incident has happened
00:50and this CCTV footage which is of a few seconds where it has seen that Sahil can be seen looking
00:57downwards
00:57like he's looking downwards then writing, he's looking downwards then writing
01:01and then there's a professor who sees him then he goes back and again comes back
01:07and like confronts Sahil on what he was doing.
01:11Sahil is confronted and then he's led outside, then he's taken outside towards the gate.
01:16That is what is seen in this footage.
01:18Now, what was revealed to authorities, to police officials when Sahil died,
01:25when after that an accidental death register was registered,
01:29initially police authorities at IIT Bombay revealed that Sahil Vakhode had uploaded the question paper
01:37on chat GPT over his mobile phone and was checking the mobile phone
01:43and writing answers into the answer sheet.
01:46That is what has been revealed by authorities from the IITB,
01:49from the invigilator, from the professor who was present in the classroom to the police.
01:55After that, accidental death register case was registered, ADR was registered at Pawai police station.
02:02But later, parents of Sahil Vakhode, they came in and they made allegations that on 13th of September,
02:12Sahil allegedly had told his parents that he was being targeted by Professor Dula.
02:19There were caste slurs being used against him and Professor Dula in fact went on to say that he will
02:27frame him
02:28and he was depressed. He was sad because of that.
02:31But the parents, the father and the mother told him to somehow...
02:38You know, if I may, is there any corroborative evidence on either side?
02:45You know, is there independent verification that a question paper was being uploaded on chat GPT?
02:54Does the mobile phone bear those facts out? Is that a matter of investigation?
02:58And on the flip side, is there any corroboration?
03:02Had Sahil spoken to anybody, either friends that, you know, certain casteist slurs were hurled at him
03:11or whether there was a precedent to that?
03:17Well, Guru, let me speak about this, that whatever information we have received from our police sources,
03:24from Crime Branch sources, they, as of now, haven't said that they have ever found any details regarding Sahil sharing
03:33or sharing this complaint or sharing this allegation against Professor Dula with any of his friends,
03:40with any of his classmates. But Crime Branch did communicate with the SCST cell
03:46with the Students' Counselling Centre at IITB to check if Sahil had complained
03:52regarding any caste-based slurs being used against him, regarding he being targeted
03:58or whether he was being counselled by the Students' Counselling Centre at the campus.
04:05This is being checked. As of now, details have been sought from the SCST cell, from the Student Counselling Centre
04:12and also details have been sought from authorities but nothing has been found out yet.
04:19Five students, around four to five students who were classmates of Sahil and some of them friends of Sahil,
04:26their statements were recorded last evening. Their statements were recorded at the campus itself
04:32by the Mumbai Crime Branch Officials, who are probing the case where parents of Sahil have complained
04:40of abatment to suicide and of sections under the SCST Act against Professor Dula and others.
04:48This is being probed by the Mumbai Crime Branch to find out what is the evidence behind the complaint
04:59made by Sahil Vakode's parents so that they could find evidence to prepare a case against the accused
05:08as per the complaint. But as of now, the probe is at a preliminary stage. Sahil Vakode's phone is yet
05:14to be accessed.
05:16Technical help is being sought because it's a password-protected phone, it's an iPhone.
05:20So, police are seeking some expert help, some technical help to open the phone and then the search history,
05:28the chat security history will also be checked. As of now, this footage has emerged where it is seen
05:34that Sahil Vakode is bending down, he's looking down at something and then writing his paper.
05:41Then the professor comes to him, he watches him initially, then he comes to him, confronts him and then Sahil
05:46is taken out.
05:47That is what is seen in this footage. Now, this footage is also being analyzed by the Mumbai Crime Branch
05:55officials.
05:56To find out what are the details. The details provided by IITB administration.
06:01Yes, in the past, and that's the question I was coming to. Did IIT Bombay administration at Pawai get any
06:09information whatsoever,
06:11either regarding Professor Dula making any casteist remarks or slurs at any student in the past, any past case?
06:26Well, Gowro, as of now, no such details are out. No such information has come to light where there have
06:33been any complaints
06:35against Professor Surya Narayan Dula that he has mazed or used casteist slurs or targeted or harassed any student.
06:43He was the Dean of Student Affairs and for a very long time he held that post. So, he was
06:50constantly interacting with students.
06:52There have been, as of now, there are now details of that sort where there have been any complaints against
06:59Professor Dula harassing a student,
07:02Professor Dula targeting a student, Professor Dula using casteist slurs at any student. As of now, again I point out,
07:10as of now, it has not come to light.
07:12No such complaint has, as of now, come to light against Professor Dula, but the probe is on. Mumbai Crime
07:20Branch is probing this case.
07:22And if any such details ever come to light, that will be taken on record. But as of now, from
07:28the administration, from the sources in IIT,
07:31or from even the police sources, the Mumbai Crime Branch sources, no such information has come to light.
07:38Okay. We are told that the Crime Branch is also examining this CCTV footage and apparently CCTV footage from the
07:46campus after he left class.
07:49Where did Sahil go? Where did Sahil go? Where did he walk? Apparently, some of that is also being assessed
07:55to trace Sahil's movements after he left his examination centre.
08:01And according to initial investigations in this case so far, Sahil reached his hostel room around 1.25 in the
08:09afternoon.
08:10CCTV footage from the campus and the hostel are now being reviewed to establish his movements between the examination centre
08:17and the access towards his hostel block.
08:22His death has triggered protests across IIT Bombay campus. There were allegations by his family of caste-based harassment.
08:32Mumbai Police have registered a case following the family's complaint, including under sections of the SCST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
08:41The investigation has now been transferred to the crime branch. Sahil's father now joins me on the show.
08:48So, sir, when you look at these images and I know they are extremely painful.
08:56Ravindra Ji, is there anything, sir? What did Sahil share with you? What can you tell us, sir?
09:04So, what did Sahil find with Sahil's کی we talked about about them?
09:08That is the experience of us, and you asked me about them that you have a story of us now?
09:12No, he is the footage on the subject of me.
09:15Yes.
09:16When Sahil's talk about your friends, what happened?
09:22Yes, my first time was, sir, the details were not taken for you.
09:22No, no, no, no, it is not taken for you.
09:25Yes.
09:26No, Ravindra Ji, this is the impression that Prof. Doola has used some words to use,
09:37what can you tell us about that? What did Sahil talk to you about?
09:48Yes, it is very painful for any parent when you look at these images, the last image that is as
10:01of now available in public domain.
10:04Now, according to IIT authorities, apparently Sahil was uploading some information onto artificial intelligence site.
10:15Based on that, he was asked to leave the examination centre.
10:22What was the exact conversation between the professor and the student?
10:26Do we have details of that exact conversation?
10:36Well, Gaurav, as Ravindra Ji also pointed out that in their FIR, they have mentioned that their complaint is regarding,
10:48is against Prof. Doola and in their complaint they have alleged that Prof. Doola had been targeting,
10:55allegedly targeting Sahil and that is what was told to them by Sahil, shared to them by Sahil on 13th
11:06of September.
11:06After that, there was no such conversation but on 13th of September, he did tell his parents that he was
11:12allegedly being harassed by Prof. Doola,
11:15there were casteist slurs being used and there were also threats made to Sahil by Prof. Doola allegedly that he
11:24would frame him some of those allegations were made and those are part of the FIR.
11:30And that is what Ravindra Ji had also spoken to India today and said this while speaking to India today
11:37that what were the allegations,
11:39what needs to be probed and that is why he is, the sections registered, the offence registered is for Abitment
11:46to Suicide and SCST Prevention of Atrocities Act.
11:50That is what has been registered against Prof. Doola and unknown others. Now, these allegations, whether this complaint, what is
12:00the evidence,
12:01because this is a college campus, this is a classroom where the incident has happened, where allegedly Sahil was caught
12:08copying and using his phone,
12:10uploading a question paper on Jack GPT and then writing answers from there, from his mobile phone, using his mobile
12:16phone in the exam hall.
12:17There were other students present there. The CCTV is now with India today where one can see that Sahil can
12:26be seen looking down towards something and then writing in his paper.
12:31Then the professor comes to him and the professor then confronts him, he is confronted and then he is taken
12:37out. So this is all happened in front of all other students.
12:40Again, this is a campus where students stay in the D-hostel, Sahil was staying in the D-hostel and
12:47there are other students who also share the hostel with him.
12:50He also had friends, he had classmates. So whether they had heard of any such allegations, whether Sahil had shared
12:57any such allegations with them,
12:59whether there have been any past complaints, similar complaints of harassment against Professor Dula. All this is part of the
13:07probe.
13:08Keep tracking that story. I will come back to you for more, Devesh, for the moment. Many thanks for joining
13:14me. India today has accessed these images.
13:17Now it is for the police to verify the complaints that have been made by Sahil's parents of alleged caster
13:26slurs hurled at their son.
13:29An apparent complaint has been made that there was an attempt to frame their son in a cheating case.
13:37We will be tracking developments on this very disturbing story closely.
