Mumbai: IIT Bombay has removed Professor Suryanarayana Doolla from his position as Dean amid protests on campus following the death by suicide of BTech student Sahil Wakode.
Doolla was serving as Dean (Administrative Affairs) at the institute when the action was taken. He will continue to serve as a professor and as head of the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, according to the institute’s latest communication.
Doolla had earlier served as Dean (Student Affairs) at IIT Bombay. The institute’s latest action comes amid protests by students following Wakode’s death and demands for accountability over the circumstances preceding the incident.
Wakode, a second-year student at IIT Bombay, died by suicide on September 18. Doolla was the course instructor and examination invigilator during an examination in which Wakode was allegedly found using a mobile phone. Doolla subsequently became one of the institute officials named in a police complaint filed by Wakode’s family. The allegations made by the family are subject to investigation.
The institute has also apologised for its earlier communication concerning the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death. IIT Bombay said the details and circumstances leading up to the incident remain under investigation and acknowledged that it was inappropriate to characterise events preceding the death before they had been established through the investigative process.
The action against Doolla follows a meeting between the institute administration and protesting students, after which IIT Bombay agreed to an 18-point charter of demands. The demands included action against officials and measures concerning student welfare and the investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wakode’s death.
Meanwhile, IIT Bombay’s Faculty Forum has expressed support for Doolla, saying he had been discharging his duties in accordance with the institute’s approved academic policies.
The institute has also clarified that its Director, Professor Shireesh B. Kedare, has not resigned, dismissing reports to that effect as false.
