New Delhi: The Faculty Association of IIT Madras has backed IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla and called for a fair, transparent and time-bound inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of an IIT Bombay student, saying no individual should be held responsible publicly or in the media before the inquiry concludes.
In a statement dated September 21 and signed by association President Prof Ethayaraja Mani, the association also called for a review of whether institutional procedures for handling academic malpractice provide students with adequate support and safeguards during moments of acute stress.
The statement follows a release issued on September 20 by the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum in support of Prof Doolla, the course instructor and invigilator. ETEducation reported earlier on Monday that IIT Bombay had removed Prof Doolla from the dean’s post amid the controversy surrounding the student’s death.
IIT Madras: ‘a loss to the entire academic community’
The IIT Madras Faculty Association said it was deeply saddened by the loss of the IIT Bombay student on September 18 and extended condolences to his family. It also expressed solidarity with his friends, classmates and the wider student community.
The association said the death of any student was a loss to the entire academic community and a reminder that institutions must keep student wellbeing a central priority.
Referring to the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum’s statement that Prof Doolla had acted in accordance with Senate-approved academic procedures, the IIT Madras association said faculty across the IIT system were entrusted with upholding examination integrity.
Faculty must be able to discharge those responsibilities in good faith and according to established procedures, it said, “without fear of personal vilification”.
The association called for three measures.
First, it said any inquiry should be conducted by the appropriate institutional and legal authorities in a fair, transparent and time-bound manner, with full respect for the dignity of the student and his family.
Second, it said no individual should be held responsible, publicly or in the media, before the inquiry process had run its course.
“Premature conclusions, media trials and speculation, including on social media, cause lasting harm to all concerned,” the association said.
Third, it called for the inquiry to examine whether institutional procedures for handling academic malpractice provide students with adequate support, counselling and safeguards “at moments of acute stress”.
It said such situations should be handled with both academic integrity and compassion.
The association appealed to students, faculty, administrators, the media and the public to show restraint and sensitivity while allowing the inquiry process to establish the facts.
It said it stood in solidarity with its colleague at IIT Bombay, while also expressing solidarity with students and families across the institutions.
IIT Bombay Faculty Forum backs Prof Doolla
The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, in its September 20 statement, mourned the death of the student and expressed condolences to his family. It also expressed strong solidarity with Prof Doolla, saying he had been discharging his duties in accordance with the Senate-approved academic policies in force at the institute.
According to the Forum, Prof Doolla was invigilating a mid-semester examination from 11 am to 1 pm on September 18 when he observed a student allegedly engaged in academic malpractice involving the unauthorised possession and use of a smartphone during the examination.
The Forum said Prof Doolla reported the incident to institute authorities for further action, as required under the institute-approved procedure.
It said it was “absolutely distressed with the tarnishing of the reputation” of Prof Doolla, whom it described as having discharged his academic duties and followed institute-approved procedures.
