Amid a series of student suicides on its campus, IIT-Bombay has decided to introduce wall-mounted fans across its hostels and other utility areas and gradually phase out ceiling fans as part of ongoing renovation works.The move comes as the Mumbai Crime Branch continues its investigation into the death of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode, reconstructing his final hours through CCTV footage and other evidence.The Crime Branch is retracing Wakode’s movements through CCTV footage, examining the sequence inside the examination hall, his exit from the exam and his return to the hostel, as investigators seek to piece together what happened before his death. No suicide note has been found so far.The investigation has also sharpened a growing divide on the IIT campus. While Wakode’s family and a section of students have questioned the circumstances surrounding the examination incident and raised allegations of caste bias, faculty members have rallied behind Prof Suryanarayana Doolla and called for due process. The IIT-Bombay Students Association has backed an independent probe while stressing that its demand for accountability should not be seen as a defence of academic misconduct.Wakode’s family, meanwhile, has rejected the focus on alleged unfair means in the examination. His father told the media that his son was a bright student and alleged that the claim that he had used unfair means was an attempt to divert attention from the circumstances surrounding his death. His mother Sonali Wakode told the media that she had full faith in the administration and believed her son would get justice.Investigators are scrutinising what happened after he left the examination venue and returned to his hostel. The examination episode remains at the centre of the controversy. The institute had earlier said Wakode was found using an unauthorised electronic device during the examination. IIT-Bombay later apologised for aspects of its communication on the incident, saying the circumstances should not have been characterised before the investigation was complete.Backing calls for a fair investigation, IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum president Professor Rajkumar Pant told the media that drawing conclusions before the facts emerged was unfair to faculty members.“We are extremely pained and upset at the loss of a young life from our institute,” Pant said, adding that people had started taking sides and making assumptions before a proper investigation had been completed.“An investigation will immediately reveal the reality of the situation,” he said. Pant also questioned the impact of what he termed “trial by social media”, saying faculty members were responsible for teaching and conducting evaluations and were “simply being penalized for following the institute norms”.Students, meanwhile, have sought an independent examination of the circumstances leading up to Wakode’s death and demanded institutional reforms. IIT-Bombay has accepted an 18-point charter of demands submitted by student representatives, including measures relating to an independent inquiry, student welfare and grievance redressal.The case has also taken a caste related turn, with Wakode’s family alleging caste-based harassment and naming Doolla in a police complaint under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Doolla has denied wrongdoing. An IIT Bombay faculty representative has said Wakode had not approached the institute’s SC/ST cell with a complaint in the months preceding his death.