IIT Bombay suicide: Crime branch questions accused Professor Doolla for 10 hours

The police said they have now recorded statements of around 40 people, including students, friends of the deceased student, and staff from the institute and hostel where the student was found dead on September 18

MUMBAI: The Mumbai police’s crime branch on Thursday questioned Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B) professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who is accused of abetting the suicide of a 20-year-old Dalit student last month, for around 10 hours and recorded his statement.

Suryanarayana Doolla has been accused of harassment and caste-based discrimination by the deceased student’s parents.

The police said they have now recorded statements of around 40 people, including students, friends of the deceased student, and staff from the institute and hostel where the student was found dead on September 18.

Doolla, who has been accused of harassment and caste-based discrimination by the deceased student’s parents, was summoned for questioning on Thursday. “We have questioned Professor Doolla for 10 hours and even recorded his statement,” said a senior police officer from the crime branch. Doolla was at the crime branch office till late Thursday night, the officer added.

On September 18, Doolla was invigilating a mid-semester examination where the second-year student was allegedly caught cheating using his phone. Later that day, the student was found dead in his hostel room. His death triggered widespread protests on campus, with several students demanding accountability.

The student’s parents then filed a police complaint accusing Doolla of harassment and caste-based discrimination. Following this, the Mumbai police registered a case against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and for abetment of suicide.

Amid massive student protests, IIT Bombay suspended Doolla from his post as Dean of Student Affairs to allow an independent investigation, though he remains a professor at the institute.

“Professor Doolla has already been sent on leave by IIT Bombay to facilitate an impartial probe,” said the police officer. “He has been named as an alleged accused in the FIR. The family has been demanding his arrest, claiming that their son had told them that he was harassed by Doolla over his caste.”

While some IIT students have protested demanding Doolla’s arrest, others, including alumni and faculty bodies, have also strongly defended him, stating that he was simply discharging his duties as an invigilator and following academic malpractice guidelines.

The police have previously claimed that the student expressed regret about the cheating incident while talking to his female friend hours after the examination. Later in the day, when the student stopped taking the female friend’s calls, she called his other friends to check on him. That’s when he was found dead.

The police have also faced problems unlocking the deceased student’s iPhone and have sent the device to a forensic laboratory.