IIT Bombay Student Death: Students Explain Doolla Demand, Say Protest Was Not to Justify Cheating

Mumbai: Student representatives at IIT Bombay have sought to clarify their position following the death of a second-year BTech student on campus, saying their protest was never intended to defend or justify cheating in an examination.

In a statement issued on Monday, the student representatives explained why they had demanded that Professor Suryanarayana Doolla be relieved of his administrative responsibilities while the circumstances surrounding the student’s death are investigated.

The students said they did not support academic misconduct. Instead, they argued that the events surrounding the student’s death had raised wider concerns about institutional processes, student welfare and the way disciplinary matters are handled.

The clarification came after protests erupted at IIT Bombay’s Powai campus following the death of the student, who was pursuing a BTech in Energy Science and Engineering.

Students say protest was about institutional concerns

The student representatives said the protest should not be interpreted as an attempt to excuse cheating.

According to their statement, the students were trying to draw attention to concerns that they believe have existed at the institute for some time and to seek changes that could prevent similar situations in the future.

They said the objective was to push for meaningful institutional reforms while also ensuring that the circumstances surrounding the student’s death were examined independently.

The students also emphasised that their demand concerning Professor Doolla was specifically connected to his administrative role and not a declaration of guilt.

Why students wanted Doolla relieved of administrative duties

Professor Suryanarayana Doolla was serving as the dean of administrative affairs and was also the invigilator who reportedly caught the student using a mobile phone during an examination.

Following the student’s death, protesters submitted a charter containing 18 demands to IIT Bombay director Shireesh Kedare.

One of their main demands was that Doolla be removed from his administrative responsibilities while the investigation was underway.

The student representatives later explained that they wanted him relieved of his duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs only as a precautionary measure.

They said the purpose was to ensure that the investigation could proceed independently and that there would be no possibility of administrative influence over the process.

At the same time, the representatives said they continued to stand with Doolla as a member of the institute’s faculty community.

Students clarify that they do not support cheating

The student’s death followed an examination incident in which he was allegedly caught using a mobile phone.

According to the institute’s earlier account, the student had used the phone during the examination and uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT in an attempt to obtain answers.

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

Students, however, claimed that the student had been told by officials that he could face disciplinary proceedings, potentially including suspension.

The difference between the institute’s account and the students’ understanding of what happened has become an important part of the wider discussion following the death.

The student representatives said that regardless of the alleged academic misconduct, the circumstances that followed needed to be examined carefully.

Professor Doolla suspended from administrative duties

Amid the protests and demands from students, IIT Bombay suspended Doolla from his position as Dean of Administrative Affairs on Monday.

The development came as pressure grew for the institute to address concerns raised by students following the death.

The students’ statement made clear that their demand was focused on his administrative position during the investigation rather than seeking a judgment against him.

The student representatives said they wanted the investigation to remain independent and free from any possible institutional influence.

Doolla faces allegations in the case

Doolla has been named in connection with allegations relating to the student’s death. According to the report, he has been charged with abetment to suicide and alleged caste-based discrimination.

These are allegations and charges at the investigation stage and do not by themselves establish guilt. The facts and legal responsibility will have to be determined through the appropriate investigative and judicial processes.

The circumstances surrounding the student’s death are therefore likely to remain under scrutiny as the investigation continues.

Student was found dead after examination incident

The student was a second-year undergraduate in IIT Bombay’s Energy Science and Engineering department.

He was reportedly caught using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination on Friday. The incident occurred only hours before he was found dead.

The sequence of events has led to intense discussion on campus, particularly around examination procedures, disciplinary rules, student support systems and how academic misconduct cases should be handled.

The institute has maintained that no formal disciplinary action had been initiated against the student.

Students, however, have raised questions about what the student may have been told after being caught and whether the possibility of disciplinary action contributed to the distress surrounding the incident.

Those questions remain part of the ongoing investigation.

Family seeks CBI inquiry

According to ANI, the student’s family has sought a Central Bureau of Investigation inquiry into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The family has called for a detailed investigation and action against anyone found responsible.

A CBI inquiry, if ordered, would place the circumstances of the case under a central investigative agency. For now, the family’s demand remains part of the broader calls for an independent investigation.

Students ask institute to address wider concerns

Beyond the demand concerning Doolla, the students have raised broader concerns about institutional systems.

Their statement said the student’s death should prompt IIT Bombay to examine issues that may affect students’ academic and personal well-being.

The representatives argued that the incident should lead to meaningful reforms rather than becoming limited to a dispute between students and individual faculty members.

They also appealed against allowing the incident to become a platform for outside political organisations, interests or narratives.

According to the students, the issues should primarily be addressed within the institute through an appropriate institutional process.

Faculty members express support for Doolla

The controversy has also divided opinion within the IIT Bombay community.

While students demanded that Doolla be relieved of his administrative responsibilities during the investigation, faculty members expressed support for him following the student’s death.

The contrasting positions have added another dimension to the situation, with students focusing on institutional safeguards and the need for an independent inquiry, while supporters of the professor have backed him amid the allegations.

The institute now faces the challenge of addressing the concerns raised by students while allowing the investigation into the circumstances of the death to proceed.

A difficult debate over academic misconduct and student welfare

The incident has triggered a difficult conversation on campus about the balance between maintaining academic integrity and ensuring that students facing disciplinary situations have access to appropriate support.

Students have repeatedly stressed that opposing the manner in which a disciplinary process is handled does not mean supporting cheating.

Academic institutions have rules intended to protect the integrity of examinations, but the events at IIT Bombay have also prompted questions about how such rules are communicated and implemented, particularly when students are under significant pressure.

The investigation will be important in establishing what happened between the examination incident and the student’s death.

What happens next

With Doolla relieved of his administrative responsibilities and an investigation underway, attention is now focused on determining the sequence of events and examining the concerns raised by students and the student’s family.

The institute will also have to respond to the 18-point charter submitted by protesting students and consider the reforms they are seeking.

Meanwhile, any allegations against individuals involved in the case will have to be assessed through due process.

The central concern for the IIT Bombay community remains understanding what happened to the student, ensuring that the investigation is conducted independently and examining whether institutional procedures need to be changed.

The incident has left the campus facing a broader conversation about academic discipline, student welfare, accountability and the responsibility of educational institutions to respond to students in distress.

News source: Information for this article was gathered from a variety of reliable news outlets.