IIT Bombay Dean of Administrative Affairs, Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, has been suspended from deanship with immediate effect amid the student suicide investigation, the institute's director said on Monday.
A second-year BTech student, who was caught allegedly cheating in an exam on Friday, died by suicide on Friday. Doolla was reportedly invigilating the exam.
Any further action will be taken following an investigation, director Shirish B. Kedare said in an email to students.
“IIT Bombay Dean of Student Affairs, Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, has been suspended with immediate effect. Any further action will be taken following an investigation,” IIT director's mail read, as seen by HT.
Doolla is teaches and directs research in power electronics and power systems as a faculty member of the Energy Science and Engineering Department.
Students back Doolla
The development comes after a statement by the students of IIT Bombay, who threw their weight behind Professor Doolla — named in the FIR filed with the police, which alleges abetment to suicide on grounds of caste discrimination.
“We students, especially those from the Energy Department, express our condolences to (student's) family and loved ones. We stand with Prof. Doolla and reject the false allegations against him. If he resigns or is suspended, the media may present it as confirmation of the casteist remarks,” the IIT-B student's X handle wrote.
{{/usCountry}}“We students, especially those from the Energy Department, express our condolences to (student's) family and loved ones. We stand with Prof. Doolla and reject the false allegations against him. If he resigns or is suspended, the media may present it as confirmation of the casteist remarks,” the IIT-B student's X handle wrote.
{{/usCountry}}Meanwhile, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has also expressed solidarity with Professor Doolla, stating he was following institutional protocol after discovering that the student was in "unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone."
"We strongly express our solidarity with our colleague Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was discharging his duties in line with the institute’s Senate-approved academic policies currently in force," the forum said in the statement, while offering deepest condolences to the family of the student.
The forum said Professor Doolla, the course instructor, was invigilating the mid-semester examination from 11 am to 1 pm on September 18, when he saw a student using a smartphone without authorisation, which it termed "academic malpractice."
The forum said, "As part of the institute-approved procedure, he reported the incident to the institute authorities for further action in the matter. The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay is absolutely distressed with the tarnishing of the reputation of our colleague Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, who was merely discharging his academic duties, and following the institute-approved procedures."
IIT Bombay's apology
In an official communication, IIT Bombay also walked back its previous claims about the circumstances leading up to the tragedy, acknowledging that premature assertions had inappropriately framed the events before any due investigative process was completed.
“We apologise for the statements contained in our earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate demise of Sahil,” the institute stated.
"The details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain subject to investigation by the appropriate authorities. In view of the ongoing investigation, it was inappropriate to have set out or characterised details relating to the events preceding his demise before they had been duly established through the appropriate investigative process," it added.
What happened?
A student from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering died by suicide on Friday. In an earlier statement issued on September 19, IIT Bombay had alleged that the student was caught cheating in an examination.
"Earlier in the day, during an examination, the student was found using a mobile phone in the exam hall. He had uploaded the examination question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers. No disciplinary action was initiated against the student. The matter was also discussed with the student by the instructor and the Head of the Department, who counselled him and assured him that the incident would not adversely affect his academic career. The student subsequently returned to his hostel room. Later in the evening, he was found dead in his room," IIT Bombay said in a statement.
The deceased's father filed a formal police complaint, making grave allegations against campus authorities. Following the complaint, the Mumbai Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) naming IIT Bombay professor and exam invigilator Suryanarayan Doolla, along with other officials.
The father of the deceased student levelled serious allegations of harassment in the complaint, saying that the professor hurled casteist slurs at the student over the last three months. A case has been registered against Doolla.
The Mumbai Police has officially transferred the case of the alleged suicide to the Crime Branch.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.
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