Former IIT Delhi director V Ramgopal Rao has backed IIT Bombay professor Suryanarayana Doolla amid the controversy surrounding the death of BTech student, saying he was “disturbed” to see Doolla being “vilified” and calling for a fair examination of the concerns raised against him.
In a post on X, Rao said he knew Doolla personally and described him as “one of the finest faculty members” he had known in the IIT system and “a gentleman of the highest integrity”. He said a public campaign against an individual “serves no one”. Rao, who has more than 25 years of experience at IIT Bombay and IIT Delhi, said the controversy also highlighted a broader issue with the “one size fits all” approach in IITs. Rao said making five years the standard programme would also have a “psychological advantage”, as students needing an additional year would simply be following the programme as designed rather than being singled out for taking longer. “We must uphold academic standards,” Rao said, while adding that students do not all arrive at the same point or learn at the same pace. He said giving them the time and support needed to meet those standards was the responsibility of the system.
