Faculty divided over support for Prof Doolla

On Monday, the IIT-B’s Faculty Forum issued a statement in support of Doolla and carried out a march to protest his suspension as dean of administrative affairs even as IIT-B said it will provide him legal assistance

MUMBAI: Divisions have emerged among faculty at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) over support for Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, at the centre of protests following a student’s suicide on September 18 that has shaken the premier engineering institute.

Mumbai, India. Sep 21, 2026 - Congress workers held a candle protest outside the IIT-Bombay campus in Powai, Mumbai, which called for justice in the second-year student suicide case. Mumbai, India. Sep 21, 2026. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo)

On Monday, the IIT-B’s Faculty Forum issued a statement in support of Doolla and carried out a march to protest his suspension as dean of administrative affairs even as IIT-B said it will provide him legal assistance.

However, the IIT-B faculty is not unanimous in its support for Doolla. Prof Suryakant Waghmore, who teaches sociology in the Department of Humanities and Social Science, alleged that the faculty supporting Doolla was putting pressure on the investigation.

Doolla, who has been booked by the police for abetment to suicide and for alleged caste discrimination against the deceased student, was suspended from his position as dean of administrative affairs on Monday. However, he continues as a professor in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, where the deceased student was enrolled. He was also the invigilator of the exam in which the deceased was allegedly caught cheating, only hours before he died by suicide.

On Monday, however, the Faculty Forum, which represents around 750 faculty members, said it “stands strongly” with him. It underlines that the professor continues to remain a faculty member and has been temporarily relieved of his duties as dean to allow an unbiased investigation into the student’s suicide.

Saying it was pained by the student’s death, the forum said it is concerned by “false and misleading reports” about the incident, which had “affected the reputation of Doolla”.

The forum said the professor had acted according to academic procedures approved by the IIT Bombay Senate. It highlighted his “contribution to student welfare” while holding administrative positions at the institute.

Support for Doolla also came from some faculty members during Monday’s open house, where they participated in a march in support of him. Alumni and some students too have expressed support on social media platforms.

The Faculty Association of IIT-Madras has also expressed its support to the professor. It referred to the IIT-B’s Faculty Forum’s statement that Doolla had acted in accordance with Senate-approved academic procedures, and said “faculty members across the IIT system are responsible for maintaining the integrity of examinations and should be able to perform this responsibility in good faith and according to institutional procedures without fear of personal vilification”.

The Madras body also said no individual should be held responsible publicly or in the media before the investigation is completed. It further said the inquiry should examine whether institutional procedures for dealing with academic malpractices provide students with enough support, counselling and safeguards during moments of acute stress.

However, not all faculty members agree with the stand taken by the Faculty Forum. Prof Suryakant Waghmore, who teaches sociology in the Department of Humanities and Social Science, is vocal in his view about faculty members throwing their weight behind Doolla.

Waghmore said faculty members should not take sides while an investigation is pending. He said the Faculty Forum should not take a position that could be seen as biased while the investigation is underway.

In an email to the Faculty Forum, Waghmore also said a faculty member can be suspended until the probe committee submits its report, referring to earlier instances where such action had been taken.

The professor later posted on social media platform X that the Faculty Forum was “not a legal body” and alleged that it was “putting pressure on the investigation”. He pointed out that not all faculty members identify with the group.

Waghmore also expressed concern about the lack of sympathy towards the deceased student and his grieving family.