‘Was simply discharging duties’: IIT Bombay, Delhi, Madras faculty rally behind professor Suryanarayana Doolla

IIT-Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who was the invigilator during an examination in which a student was caught cheating, was suspended from his position as dean of administrative affairs at the Powai campus following the student’s death by suicide.

However, the IIT faculty from campuses in Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai have come forward in his support, arguing that he was only discharging his duties. Doolla is in focus amid an uproar over the suicide of a second-year BTech student who was caught cheating hours before.

While IIT-Bombay faculty members held a march in Doolla's support, the IIT-Delhi Faculty Forum released a statement saying he was “simply discharging his duties”. Meanwhile, the IIT-Madras's faculty body urged against publicly holding individuals responsible before the due process is completed.

Following the uproar over the student's suicide, Doolla has been charged with abetment to suicide and alleged discrimination on the basis of caste.

Also Read: 'Don't condone cheating, stand with professor': IIT-Bombay students on why they wanted Doolla relieved of duties

IIT-Bombay staff takes out march

The faculty members of IIT-Bombay took out a march in support of Doolla after he was removed as the dean of administrative affairs at the Powai campus.

According to news agency PTI, the Faculty Forum said Doolla followed “Senate-approved exam procedure” when he reported the second year B Tech student for alleged phone use on September 18.

The student had allegedly been caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester exam. Doolla was the invigilator in the exam.

The incident triggered protests on campus after the student's family alleged he was subjected to institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination before he took the extreme step.

‘Was simply discharging duties’

IIT-Delhi's faculty also came out in Doolla's support, arguing he was only discharging his duties, and condemned the allegations against him without any substantial proof.

"The forum expresses solidarity with Prof Doolla, his students, and the family, and condemns the tarnishing of his reputation," the IIT-Delhi Faculty Forum said in a statement, according to a PTI report.

"There is an apprehension among faculty members regarding the conduct of evaluations and maintaining academic integrity due to the circumstances that prevailed at IIT-Bombay. IIT-Delhi Faculty Forum appeals to the student community, their families, and the entire nation to extend their support so that the faculty can discharge its duties in maintaining the integrity and fairness of the entire IIT system," it said.

What IIT-Madras said

The IIT-Madras faculty body also issued a statement urging fair probe into the student's death. Without naming Doolla, the faculty members cautioned against publicly holding individuals responsible before the probe is complete.

“Premature conclusions, media trials and speculation, including on social media, cause lasting harm to all concerned and do not serve the cause of justice or the memory of the student,” it said, according to an ANI report.

Referring to the IIT-Bombay faculty's stand that professor Doolla acted in accordance with the Senate-approved academic procedures, the IIT-Madras faculty said that members were entrusted with upholding the integrity of examinations and should be able to discharge that responsibility in good faith.