IIT Bombay Student Suicide Probe: CCTV Scanned, ChatGPT Angle & Harassment Plaint Examined

The India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor has gained renewed focus following support from US President Donald Trump amidst ongoing conflict in West Asia and disruptions to shipping routes at Bab el-Mandab and the Strait of Hormuz. First unveiled during India's G20 presidency in September 2023, the multimodal network combines rail, road, sea routes, pipelines, and digital cables linking India, the Gulf, and Europe. With attacks threatening critical energy flows, fertilizers, and commercial vessels, IMEC is viewed as an alternative route to diversify global supply chains away from vulnerable maritime chokepoints, though ongoing regional instability and infrastructure demands present operational delays.

Exclusive CCTV footage has surfaced in connection with the suicide of a 22-year-old student, Sahil, at IIT Bombay. Visuals from the examination hall show the candidate seated on the first bench during a mid-semester examination. According to institute authorities, a professor spotted the student allegedly using a mobile phone to upload an exam question paper onto ChatGPT. The sequence captures the invigilator walking past, noticing suspicious movement, questioning the candidate, and subsequently asking him to leave the hall around ten minutes into the exam. Counter-allegations suggest that the candidate faced rude remarks and discrimination during the interaction. Following the confrontation, the second-year Department of Energy, Science, and Engineering student returned to his hostel room at the Powai campus, where he was subsequently found dead. The footage captures the sequence without audio as investigations continue into the circumstances leading up to his death.

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian strongly condemned the United States and Israel during his address at the United Nations General Assembly following a military escalation. Addressing accusations of sponsoring terrorism, the Iranian President asserted that Iran has been a victim of terrorism rather than a perpetrator. He highlighted US and Israeli strikes targeting civilian infrastructure, including hospitals, universities, a sports hall in Lamert, and the Minab school bombing that claimed the lives of 120 schoolgirls. Recalling the assassination of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Pezeshkian accused both nations of attempting to destabilise the region and the world, maintaining that Iran acted solely in self-defence against foreign aggression.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar raised serious concerns with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio regarding a US Senate sanctions bill aimed at Russia and Iran. The proposed legislation empowers US President Donald Trump to impose tariffs of up to 100 percent on the top buyers of Russian oil and gas, directly impacting India and China. While Indian refiners imported roughly 45 percent of their crude from Russia in August, Indian officials highlight that these imports stabilise global energy markets. The tariff tensions unfold alongside preparations for Chinese President Xi Jinping's official visit to the United States.