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

Student representatives of IIT-Bombay on Monday issued a statement on the death of a second-year BTech student and explained why they wanted the dean of administrative affairs, Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, relieved of his duties.

Following student protests over the suicide on IIT-Bombay's Powai campus, the student representatives clarified that they didn't condone cheating in any manner, but the events leading up to the student suicide made them reflect.

“The protest initiated by students was not intended to justify academic misconduct. It was a collective effort to raise concerns about systemic issues that have existed for some time and to seek meaningful and strong institutional reforms so that no student has to face circumstances of this nature again…,” the student representatives said, according to a statement shared by news agency ANI.

The student, who died by suicide, had allegedly been caught using a mobile phone to access ChatGPT during a mid-semester exam.

‘We stand with Professor Doolla’

Professor Suryanarayana Doolla was suspended as IIT-Bombay's dean of administrative affairs on Monday. However, student representatives said in a statement that they stood with the professor as "member of our faculty community".

"Our demand was that he be relieved of his administrative duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs during the pendency of the investigation, as a precautionary measure to ensure that the investigation remains completely independent and cannot be influenced in any manner," the statement read.

Also Read: Who is Suryanarayana Doolla? IIT Bombay professor in focus in student suicide case

They also said that the concerns arising from the student's death must be addressed within the institute, and that the incident shouldn't become a platform “for external political interests, organisations, or narratives”.

Amid massive uproar over the student suicide, protesters met the IIT-B director Shireesh Kedare on Sunday and handed him a charter of 18 demands, foremost among them - the suspension of Professor Doolla.

Doolla was the invigilator who had caught the student cheating during an exam on Friday. As stated in an earlier HT report, he has been charged with abetment to suicide and alleged discrimination on the basis of caste.

What happened?

The student who died was a second-year undergraduate student of Energy Science and Engineering at IIT-Bombay. He was caught cheating hours before he was found dead.

The institute earlier said that the student had been found using a mobile phone during the examination and had uploaded the question paper on ChatGPT to seek answers.

“No disciplinary action was initiated against the student,” the institute said. However, students claimed he was told by officials that he could face disciplinary action, including suspension.

Also Read: IIT Bombay agrees to review punishment rules, suspends dean amid uproar over student's death

According to ANI, the student's family has demanded a CBI inquiry into his alleged suicide, seeking a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death and action against those found responsible.