Suryanarayana Doolla, a professor at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, was suspended from his post of Dean (Student Affairs) , with immediate effect on Monday amid an investigation into the death of 20-year-old student.
Later in the day, the student from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, died by suicide. Suryanarayana Doolla is a professor in IIT Bombay’ s Department of Energy Science and Engineering. Alongside his academic work, Doolla has held several administrative responsibilities at IIT Bombay, including roles in student affairs, hostel management, and national-level entrance examinations. Doolla has received several awards for his teaching and research contributions. His recognitions include the Prof. “We students, especially those from the Energy Department, express our condolences to the student’s family and loved ones. We stand with Prof. Doolla and reject the false allegations against him. If he resigns or is suspended, the media may present it as confirmation of the casteist remarks. The statement was shared through an IIT Bombay student’s X account.
Doolla came into focus as he was invigilating the mid-semester examination from 11 am to 1 pm on September 18, when he saw that the student allegedly using a mobile phone during the examination and had uploaded the question paper to an AI platform to seek answers. Doolla completed his B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from Nagarjuna University in 2000. He then pursued an MTech in Energy Systems Engineering at IIT Bombay and obtained his PhD in Power Systems from IIT Delhi in 2007. He served as Dean (Student Affairs) from 2023, according to the available information. He was also the organising chairman for JEE (Advanced), CEED and UCEED in 2022. S P Sukhatme Excellence in Teaching Award from IIT Bombay in September 2021 and the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Department of Energy Science and Engineering in 2017.
He had also assumed the role of Dean (Student Affairs) in March three years ago, according to IIT-B’s official website.
