Stories
Premature Hounding of Prof Doolla Threatens India's Future, Warns Expert
- •The fate of IIT Bombay Professor Suryanarayana Doolla could significantly impact India's future direction, especially regarding academic integrity and national development.
- •If Professor Doolla is exonerated after being publicly vilified, it could lead to a culture of fear among educators, normalize cheating, and damage academic standards.
- •The article warns that accommodating outrage over caste-related issues without due process could lead to the misuse of rules, devalue merit, and produce incompetent graduates.
- •Destroying due process on campuses and allowing media trials could turn student unions into "kangaroo courts" and deter talent from staying in India.
- •The author argues that mishandling the situation at IIT Bombay could severely impact PM Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047, affecting industry, infrastructure, and governance.
Key Questions Answered
Professor Suryanarayana Doolla was removed and suspended following student protests over the suicide of 20-year-old BTech student Sahil Wakode. Doolla had been the course instructor and examination invigilator during a mid-semester test where Wakode was allegedly caught using a mobile phone, and his name was subsequently included in a police FIR alleging caste-related harassment.
In July 2024, Professor Doolla issued an email advisory urging students and staff to avoid asking peers about their birth or admission category, JEE ranks, or GATE scores. The advisory stated that such inquiries could create conscious or subconscious bias and that IIT Bombay considered it inappropriate to reveal a fellow student's social background.
Critics and supporters argue that publicly vilifying and taking severe legal action against Professor Doolla before an investigation risks normalising cheating, creating a culture of defensive teaching, and devaluing academic merit. Some alumni and faculty have also called for the withdrawal of the SC/ST case, warning against automatically fixing guilt on upper-caste educators.
