IIT-Bombay faculty protest in support of Prof Doolla after deanship suspension amid student death row | Mumbai News
MUMBAI: The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum has come out in support of Prof Suryanarayana Doolla amid scrutiny following the death of a student on campus on September 18, saying that the professor has not been suspended from the institute and continues to remain a member of its faculty.In a statement issued on September 21 at 3 pm, the Forum said Doolla had only been temporarily relieved of his responsibilities as Dean (Administrative Affairs), a step it said was intended to facilitate an independent and unbiased investigation into the incident.The clarification comes amid media reports surrounding the professor’s role and the circumstances leading up to the student’s death.The Forum described Doolla as a senior and distinguished faculty member who has received several academic and teaching honours, including two awards based entirely on student feedback.It also pointed to his long tenure as Dean (student affairs), during which, it said, he helped establish several initiatives aimed at student welfare.The faculty body expressed concern over what it described as “false and misleading” reports that had damaged Doolla’s reputation before the investigation had established the facts.At the same time, the Forum said it was deeply saddened by the student’s death and acknowledged the grief surrounding the incident.The statement places in sharp focus the difficult balance institutions face after a campus tragedy: responding to the anguish and questions raised by students while ensuring that individuals under scrutiny are not pronounced culpable before a fair inquiry is completed.“Compassion for a young life lost and fairness to those whose actions are under scrutiny need not be competing principles,” the Forum said in substance, arguing that both must guide the institutional response.The statement was signed by Prof Rajkumar S. Pant, president of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum.The Faculty Forum is a formal body of IIT Bombay comprising around 750 faculty members and serves as a platform for faculty to raise concerns and communicate their views to the institute and other bodies.
