Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 22 (ANI): IIT Bombay Faculty Forum president Professor Dr Rajkumar S Pant on Tuesday backed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla amid the investigation into the death by suicide of student Sahil Ravindra Wakode, saying Doolla acted as per institutional rules after seeing the student use a mobile phone during an examination. The faculty forum president said that Sahil had never made any complaint to the SC Cell at the college regarding alleged cast discrimination.
Speaking to ANI in a detailed interview, Pant said Doolla had only been relieved of his administrative duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs amid the ongoing investigation and continued to remain a teaching faculty member at IIT Bombay.
“Professor Doolla is not suspended as a professor of IIT Bombay, and he is still a teaching faculty member in our institution,” Professor Pant said.
He said the Faculty Forum would not comment in detail on the incident as the matter had already been reported and was under investigation, but maintained that Doolla had followed the prescribed procedure when he saw Sahil allegedly using unfair means during the examination.
“Our only point is that we are teachers, and we are discharging our duties as mandated by the institute while following institute procedures. Professor Doolla did the same… He was the Dean of Student Affairs before taking up his current position as Dean of Academic Affairs. So, to expect that a person of his nature—who is known to be very helpful to students—would do this is unreasonable… There are some situations where one has to act firmly, and he acted firmly as per the rules. But I am personally convinced that he is not the kind of person who would indulge in these kinds of acts,” he said
Professor Pant said that IIT Bombay has a functional SC/ST Cell for students from the concerned communities to raise complaints and grievances, but Sahil Wakode had not approached the cell with any allegation against any professor.
“Like every institute, we have a dedicated SC/ST cell for the welfare of students of that particular category… I spoke to the institute’s Deputy Director, Professor Ravindra Gudi, about it, and he confirmed to me that the SC/ST cell issued a notice—stating that there was absolutely no attempt by the late Sahil to approach the cell over the last three or four months. No complaint was recorded by him—forget about a formal complaint; he had not even approached the SC/ST cell for anything
He however said he had no first-hand information to confirm or deny allegations that Professor Doolla had made caste-based remarks against Sahil.
“There is no first-hand account of the incident where someone has seen or heard Professor Doolla using caste remarks against Sahil, so I cannot confirm or deny the allegation,” he said.
“I see no merit in this claim. Still, I do not want to comment further on what has been reported. There is an FIR, and the law will take its own course. I think the Mumbai Crime Branch is investigating, so we have nothing to comment on that matter. The norms of society and the institute are very clear that we cannot tolerate cheating. Now, if a faculty member sees someone misusing facilities and resorting to unfair means, taking no action would be unfair to the majority of students who do not cheat…”
Pant also stressed the need to look at the academic and emotional pressure faced by students, saying they were among the best students in the country and that institutions needed to consider ways to reduce pressure on them.
“These students are like our own children, and we understand that there is a tremendous pressure on them to perform better, especially from their parents,” he said.
He said institutions should also examine how the pressure on students could be reduced while ensuring that they were supported during their academic journey.
Pant said the Faculty Forum was standing behind Doolla while the allegations were being investigated, referring to the principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty. The comments came as the Mumbai Police Crime Branch continues to investigate the death of Sahil, a second-year BTech student of IIT Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering.
The Crime Branch is scrutinising CCTV footage covering the examination hall, campus and hostel. A Crime Branch official said the footage had not been released or shown to anyone and was being examined by the investigating team.
According to the Crime Branch, CCTV cameras recorded Sahil’s movements inside the examination hall between 12:30 PM and 12:45 PM on September 18. With around 15 minutes remaining for the examination, he was allegedly seen bending down to look at something kept in his pocket, following which a professor questioned him and took him aside.
The official said Sahil later reached his hostel room at approximately 1:25 PM and did not step out of the room thereafter. Sahil was found dead in his hostel room later that day.
The incident has triggered protests and counter-protests at IIT Bombay, with students raising concerns over institutional processes and demanding reforms. Student representatives have maintained that their protest was not intended to justify academic misconduct and that they had not presumed Doolla’s guilt.
On September 21, IIT Bombay relieved Doolla of his duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs amid the investigation. The institute’s PRO clarified that Doolla had only been suspended from the deanship and continued as a faculty member.
Sahil’s family has alleged caste-based harassment and sought a thorough probe, including a CBI inquiry. His parents have filed a case under the SC/ST Act, alleging discrimination. (ANI)