Mumbai: The Faculty Forum of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay stated on Monday that it "stands strongly" with Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, who was relieved of his duties as Dean (Administrative Affairs) with immediate effect following a student's death at the institute.

The forum highlighted that Doolla, throughout his extended tenure as Dean (Student Affairs), played a key role in establishing numerous initiatives aimed at promoting student welfare across the campus.

Members of the Faculty Forum expressed that they were "distressed by the vilification of our colleague's reputation by false and misleading media reports".

Sahil Ravindra Wakode, 22, a second-year BTech student enrolled in the Department of Energy Science and Engineering, was found dead in his hostel room on the Powai campus on the evening of 18 September.

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The incident sparked student protests and prompted police to register a case against a professor under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, following allegations of caste-based discrimination and harassment raised by the student's parents.

In an official statement, Prof Rajkumar S Pant, President of the IIT Bombay Faculty Forum, said, "We would like to clarify that contrary to several media reports, Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla has not been suspended from his service from IIT Bombay and continues to be a member of the institute's faculty in good standing."

Pant further explained in the statement that the forum understands Doolla was temporarily relieved from his administrative responsibilities as Dean (Administrative Affairs) to facilitate an independent and impartial inquiry into the events of 18 September.

"The Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay stands strongly with our colleague Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla. During his long tenure as Dean (Student Affairs), Prof. Doolla was instrumental in setting up several initiatives for the welfare of the student community on campus," the statement read.

"We are distressed by the vilification of our colleague's reputation by false and misleading media reports. We also reiterate that we are pained by the sad demise of our student due to the unfortunate incident on September 18," the statement added.

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The Faculty Forum operates as a formal representative body at the institute, comprising more than 750 faculty members who express collective views to the administration and external entities.

PTI