IIT Bombay, IIT Madras Faculty Defend Professor In Student Suicide Row

The Faculty Association of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has come out in support of IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla who is at the centre of a controversy following the death of a second-year BTech student. Sahil Wakode's death on September 18 has triggered protests at the institute. 

The IIT Madras Faculty Association said it stood with Professor Doolla while also extending its condolences to the family, friends and classmates of Sahil Wakode.

"No words can ease the grief of his parents and family, and we extend our heartfelt condolences to them. We also stand with his friends, classmates and the wider student community of IIT Bombay, who are mourning the loss of one of their own. The death of any student is a loss to the entire academic community, and it is a reminder that our institutions must keep making the wellbeing of every student a central priority," the faculty association said in a statement. 

"At a time of such grief, we believe it is important that the circumstances be examined fairly and through due process. We note the statement of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum that Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, as course instructor and invigilator, acted in accordance with the Senate-approved academic procedures of the institute," it added. 

The statement was issued by Professor Ethayaraja Mani, president of the IIT Madras Faculty Association.

Sahil Wakode's Death

The student was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his room at Hostel Number 4 on the IIT Bombay campus in Mumbai's Powai area on Friday evening.

Sahil was allegedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. According to IIT Bombay officials, he allegedly used ChatGPT during the exam. IIT Bombay, in a statement, said the student had allegedly uploaded the examination question paper to ChatGPT to seek answers.

The institute said no disciplinary action had been initiated against him.

His family has alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination before his death. Students protesting on the campus have claimed that he was under severe pressure and had faced threats of suspension from the college.

The institute separately announced the removal of Professor Doolla from the post of Dean (Administrative Affairs), with immediate effect. 

What IIT Madras Faculty Wants

The IIT Madras association said faculty members across the IIT system were entrusted with upholding the integrity of examinations. It argued that teachers must be able to fulfil this responsibility in good faith, while following institutional procedures without facing personal vilification.

The IIT Madras Faculty Association outlined three specific requests in its statement:

1. Any inquiry into the incident be conducted by the appropriate institutional and legal authorities in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner, with full respect for the dignity of the student and his family.

2. No individual be held responsible, publicly or in the media, before such a process has run its course. 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.

3. The inquiry also look into whether institutional procedures for handling academic malpractice give students enough support, counselling and safeguards at moments of acute stress, so that such situations are handled with both integrity and compassion.

IIT Bombay Faculty's Support

Earlier on Monday, faculty members of IIT Bombay held a march on the institute's campus in Mumbai in support of Professor Doolla.

Police have booked Doolla under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and on a charge of abetment to suicide.

The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, in a separate statement, strongly defended Professor Doolla and sought to clarify reports about his institutional position.