MUMBAI: Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, who has emerged at the centre of student protests at IIT-Bombay following the death of 20-year-old student Sahil Wakode, is a faculty member in the institute’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering (DESE). He teaches and conducts research in power electronics and power systems.Doolla came into focus after Wakode died by suicide on September 18, hours after he was allegedly found using a mobile phone during a mid-semester examination. According to the institute, Wakode had uploaded the question paper on an AI platform to seek answers and was subsequently counselled by the instructor and head of department. IIT-Bombay has maintained that no disciplinary action had been initiated against him before his death.Doolla was the course instructor and examination invigilator during the exam and was involved in reporting the alleged examination malpractice to the institute authorities.
Why are students demanding action against him?
Following Wakode’s death, students began protesting on the Powai campus and demanded action against Doolla. Wakode’s family alleged harassment and caste-based discrimination, following which Mumbai Police registered a case invoking provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Doolla was among those named in the complaint. The allegations are subject to investigation.On Sunday night, IIT-Bombay director Prof Shireesh Kedare held a three-hour meeting with protesting students. The students submitted an 18-point charter of demands, which included an independent investigation, action against officials found guilty after the inquiry, compensation for the family and sensitisation and a code of conduct for faculty. The director signed the charter.Amid the protests, IIT-Bombay on Monday temporarily relieved Doolla from his deanship with immediate effect. He continues to be a professor in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering. The institute has said that any further action will depend on the investigation.
What is Doolla’s academic background?
According to IIT-Bombay’s official profile, Doolla completed his BTech in Electrical Engineering from Nagarjuna University in 2000. He obtained an MTech in Energy Systems Engineering from IIT-Bombay in 2002 and a PhD in Power Systems from IIT-Delhi in 2007.Before joining IIT-Bombay, he worked with Machine 2 Machine in Hyderabad between 2006 and 2008 and Power Research and Development Consultants in Bengaluru in 2009.His research areas include smart grids, microgrids, active distribution networks, converter topologies and control, grid integration of distributed energy resources, real-time simulation and protection in inverter-based active distribution networks.
His administrative roles at IIT-Bombay
Doolla has held several administrative positions at the institute. He has also served as warden of Hostel 6 from 2012 to 2021 and as associate warden in 2011.He was organising chairman for JEE (Advanced), CEED and UCEED in 2022 and had served as vice-chairman for these examinations in earlier years.
Awards and recognition
Doolla has received several teaching and research honours. These include IIT-Bombay’s Prof S P Sukhatme Excellence in Teaching Award in September 2021 and the institute’s Excellence in Teaching Award from DESE in 2017.He also received the Young Faculty Award from IIT-Bombay in 2009 and the Bhaskara Advanced Solar Energy Fellowship in 2017. His other recognitions include IEEE and editorial awards.
What is his status now?
Doolla remains a professor in IIT-Bombay’s Department of Energy Science and Engineering, but has been temporarily relieved from his deanship amid the ongoing investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death.The IIT-Bombay Faculty Forum has backed Doolla and said he was carrying out his responsibilities as an invigilator after detecting the alleged unauthorised use of a smartphone during the examination. The faculty body has also called for a fair inquiry and said Doolla should not be treated as culpable before the investigation establishes the facts.The institute has separately apologised for earlier statements about the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death, saying that the details remained subject to investigation and should not have been characterised before being established through the appropriate process.
