Sahil's last reported phone call with his girlfriend, in which he claims to have made a 'mistake', is the latest in a series of claims and counterclaims made as the Mumbai Police pieces together the details of his suicide.

Sahil's last reported phone call with his girlfriend, in which he claims to have made a 'mistake', is the latest in a series of claims and counterclaims made as the Mumbai Police pieces together the details of his suicide.

Sahil's last reported phone call with his girlfriend, in which he claims to have made a 'mistake', is the latest in a series of claims and counterclaims made as the Mumbai Police pieces together the details of his suicide.

A fresh twist has emerged in the row over Sahil Ravindra Wakode's death by suicide, which continues to raise questions over whether it was casteism or the use of ChatGPT in a mid-semester examination that led to the tragedy.

According to the Mumbai Police, Sahil had not stepped out of his room since 1:30 PM on Friday, hours before he was found hanging in it.

About an hour later, the 22-year-old allegedly phoned his girlfriend, informing her about a "mistake" he had made, with investigators suggesting that he seemed stressed, but had not made any mention of facing casteism, a News18 report said.

“Mujhse galti ho gayi hai (I have made a mistake) ... My earlier thermodynamics paper didn’t go well, and now this has happened," he told her, to which she urged him to stay calm and focus on the next exam.

This disputes his parents' narrative of caste being the reason for his suicide, and is the latest in a series of claims and counterclaims made as the police try to piece together the details of his death.

The details of this phone call with his girlfriend—said to be his last conversation with her—also comes a day after the deceased Sahil's father, Ravindra Wakode, warned that he would sit on hunger strike if there were no arrests made in the wake of his son's death.

Specifically, Wakode has called for the arrests of Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla—the invigilator that reported Sahil's use of ChatGPT to the concerned authorities—and IIT Bombay Director, Prof Shireesh Kedare.

Sahil's parents have claimed that they had also submitted evidence of "caste-based discrimination" and the "torture" he faced on campus.

They also explained that they regretted advising him to ignore the casteist remarks that he allegedly faced and to focus on his studies.

"He was a smart student. Cracking the IIT Advanced exam is not a trivial matter. You can look at his All India rank ... they will say that he cheated ... I explained to him that my son should tolerate IIT a little, and after this, his whole life would be good. I made a mistake by telling him this," he told ANI.

However, media interviews with students on campus tell a different story.

In fact, a student claiming to be a close friend to Sahil told NDTV that the casteism allegations were not true, and that no one had any idea he would die by suicide.

"I met him four-five days before the exam. He was the normal Sahil. Fun guy, cool guy, very happy,"said the friend, Yatish Kumar, who is also a second-year student—but from a different department.

"Cheating is bad. But while punishing you have to know the mental state of the student and talk," he said, while also pointing out that the "DAC (disciplinary action committee) was not imposed on him".

Amid the furore over Sahil's death, there have also been protests on campus by students and faculty, which have further complicated the issue. While student protests got Prof Doolla removed from the post of Dean of Administrative Affairs, faculty protests came out in support of him.

As the police investigate the case based on an FIR filed under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS)—which deals with abetment of suicide—and provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Prof Doolla has been sent home on leave, in order to ensure an impartial investigation.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 AM to 10 PM.)