Archive · 21 Sep 2026
IIT Bombay Faculty Defends Professor Amid Student Death Controversy
A professor at IIT Bombay was supervising an exam when a student was found using a phone.
The institute said the student had uploaded the exam question paper to ChatGPT.
The professor reported what he saw to institute officials.
The institute said the student was counselled and that no formal punishment was started.
Later that evening, the student was found dead in his hostel room.
Students protested and asked the institute to explain what happened.
The student’s parents alleged discrimination and filed a case under the SC/ST Act.
The faculty forum defended the professor and said he had followed the rules.
One forum statement did not clearly say whether the student caught using the phone was the same student who died.
The IIT Bombay Faculty Forum expressed solidarity with Professor Suryanarayana Doolla and said he followed Senate-approved procedures.
The forum said Doolla reported a student’s unauthorised smartphone use during a mid-semester examination on September 18.
IIT Bombay said the student had uploaded the question paper to ChatGPT, was counselled, and faced no disciplinary action.
The student was later found dead in his hostel room, prompting protests seeking accountability and transparency.
The student’s parents filed a case under the SC/ST Act alleging discrimination, while the forum did not clarify whether the student in the exam incident was the deceased student.
- Who
- Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, the deceased second-year student, IIT Bombay, protesting students, and the student’s parents.
- What
- The faculty forum defended Doolla’s handling of alleged examination malpractice after a student’s death and the resulting protests and legal complaint.
- When
- The examination took place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on September 18; the student was found dead later that evening. The forum statement was issued on Sunday, and the year was not specified.
- Where
- The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay campus in Mumbai, including an examination hall and the student’s hostel room.
- Why
- The forum said Doolla followed institute procedures, while students and the student’s parents sought accountability and alleged discrimination.
Faculty and Institute Position
Student and Family Concerns
Professor’s conduct
Faculty and Institute Position
The Faculty Forum said Doolla was performing his duties under Senate-approved policies and properly reported alleged academic malpractice.
Student and Family Concerns
Students protested and the student’s parents pursued legal action, reflecting demands for accountability and allegations that discrimination contributed to the death.
Handling of the examination incident
Faculty and Institute Position
IIT Bombay said no disciplinary action was initiated, and that the student was counselled and assured the incident would not harm his academic career.
Student and Family Concerns
The student’s death later that day led to questions about how the incident was handled and demands for greater transparency.
Connection between the incident and death
Faculty and Institute Position
The forum’s statement did not establish whether the student involved in the examination incident was the same student whose death it addressed, and it focused on the professor’s procedure.
Student and Family Concerns
Other reports identified the deceased second-year student as the student found using the phone, while the parents alleged discrimination was a factor in his death.
- Institution
- Indian Institute of Technology Bombay
- Faculty body
- IIT Bombay Faculty Forum
- Professor
- Suryanarayana Doolla
- Examination
- Mid-semester examination held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on September 18
- Alleged malpractice
- Unauthorised smartphone use and uploading the question paper to ChatGPT
- Institute response
- The instructor and Head of Department counselled the student, and IIT Bombay said no disciplinary action was initiated
- Legal action
- The student’s parents filed a case under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, alleging discrimination
Sources
IIT-B faculty backs professor in student suicide row
IIT Bombay Faculty Stands by Professor Amid Row Over Student's Death by Suicide
IIT Bombay Faculty Forum Backs Professor Suryanarayana Doolla Amid Concerns Over Reputation After Student Death