Faculty members expressed concern over ‘false and misleading’ reports
Mumbai: Faculty members at IIT-Bombay came out in large numbers on Monday for a peace march across the campus, rallying in support of their colleague Prof Suryanarayana Doolla amid scrutiny following the death of a student on Sept 18. There are close to 14,000 students on campus. “The investigation may have to do more than establish what happened on Sept 18.
Its statement was signed by its president, Prof Rajkumar Pant. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Mumbai | Silver Rate in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai | Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Petrol Price in Mumbai | Diesel Price in Mumbai | CNG Price in Mumbai | LPG Price in Mumbai Stay updated with the latest Mumbai news.
Banners carried during the march read “Justice for Doolla”, “In solidarity with Doolla” and “No Evidence, Why Consequence? Faculty members expressed concern over “false and misleading” reports that had damaged Doolla’s reputation even before the investigation had established the facts. A senior faculty member said the issue was not merely about defending a colleague and that their intervention raised a “larger institutional question, whether academic integrity, student welfare and due process can be protected simultaneously”. It said he continued to remain a faculty member and had only been “temporarily relieved” of his responsibilities as dean (administrative affairs) to facilitate an independent and unbiased investigation. He said on social media that not all faculty members identify with the group and that its statements were building pressure on the investigation committee. It also referred to his tenure as dean (student affairs), during which, it said, he had helped establish several student-welfare initiatives. We don’t know anyone’s background,” said a senior faculty member. In a statement, it offered condolences to the student’s family and said the death of any student was a loss to the larger academic community, underscoring that student well-being must remain a central institutional priority. It said no individual should be held responsible publicly or in the media before due process had run its course, cautioning that premature conclusions, media trials and speculation, including on social media, could cause lasting harm and serve neither justice nor the memory of the student. Faculty members said the two statements bring into focus the difficult balance IIT-Bombay now faces: responding to grief and questions from students while ensuring fairness to those whose actions are under scrutiny. It could also require a closer look at how institutions respond when students face acute academic distress, whether existing safeguards are adequate and how accountability can be pursued without arriving at conclusions before the facts are established,” said a senior faculty member.
Many students on the campus, too, came out in Doolla’s support, holding placards during an open house and even on social media. This was the second statement it issued in two days. A professor from the institute, Suryakant Waghmore, however, did not endorse the forum’s statement. The forum described Doolla as a senior faculty member with several academic and teaching honours, including two awards based entirely on student feedback. “We know that as faculty, every student is an individual, not categorised by any caste or class. Support for a due process-led inquiry also came from Faculty Association of IIT-Madras. The association urged restraint till completion of the inquiry. The association also asked that the inquiry go beyond fixing individual responsibility. It called for an examination of whether institutional procedures dealing with academic malpractice provide students adequate support, counselling and safeguards during moments of acute stress. IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum is an elected body whose elections are due. The IIT-Madras Faculty Association statement was issued by its president, Prof Ethayaraja Mani. Download the TOI App.
Hours earlier, IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum issued a statement backing the professor and clarifying that he had not been suspended from the institute.