Stories
Poonawalla Backs IIT-Bombay Professor Doolla Amid Suicide Probe, Calls for Fair Hearing
- •Shehzad Poonawalla supported IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla, suspended after a student's death, stating allegations shouldn't be treated as guilt.
- •Poonawalla emphasized that a "caste angle" shouldn't be injected to cover up cheating and warned against villainizing a teacher before facts are established.
- •Doolla was suspended after a second-year student, whom he allegedly caught using a mobile phone during an exam, died by suicide on September 18.
- •Mumbai Police registered an FIR against Doolla and other officials, while the student's family alleged institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination.
- •Faculty members from IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras have supported Doolla, asserting he was discharging his duties and followed proper exam procedures.
Key Questions Answered
Professor Suryanarayana Doolla was suspended with immediate effect amid an ongoing investigation into the death of a 20-year-old student on campus. Doolla had been invigilating the student's mid-semester exam when he allegedly caught him using a mobile phone to upload the question paper to an AI platform.
The family of the second-year BTech student has alleged that he faced institutional harassment and caste-based discrimination prior to his tragic death on September 18.
Faculty forums at IIT Bombay, IIT Delhi, and IIT Madras have rallied in support of Professor Doolla, arguing that he was simply discharging his duties and following Senate-approved exam procedures. Additionally, figures like Shehzad Poonawalla and social activist Sudheendra Kulkarni have called for a fair hearing, cautioning against presuming guilt before evidence is established.
