MUMBAI: Student representatives at IIT Bombay have sought to distance the recent campus protests from any suggestion that students were defending academic misconduct, saying their agitation was instead aimed at raising larger concerns about institutional systems, accountability and student welfare.In a statement issued late on September 21, the students said they neither supported nor condoned cheating “or any form of academic misconduct”. They acknowledged that their fellow student, Sahil, was facing circumstances that had compelled them to reflect more deeply on processes within the institute.“The protest initiated by students was not intended to justify academic misconduct,” the statement said. Rather, students said it was a collective effort to flag systemic concerns that had existed for some time and to seek “meaningful and strong institutional reforms” so that no student would have to face similar circumstances in future.The statement comes after several days of unrest on the Powai campus following Sahil’s death on Friday (Sept 18), with students holding discussions, protests and meetings with the institute administration.Student representatives said that over the past few days, they had collectively drawn up a comprehensive set of demands. These were formally placed before the IIT Bombay director, who, they said, had acknowledged and signed them and agreed to work towards their implementation within specified timelines.They also welcomed an open-house meeting held with the director and other members of the administration. According to the statement, students were given an opportunity to directly raise questions and concerns, which the director addressed in detail.The representatives said they appreciated the manner in which the administration had engaged with students and hoped the process would continue as the institute worked towards identifying and addressing the issues that had surfaced.The students also clarified their position on Prof Suryanarayana Doolla, whose administrative role had become a focus of the protests.They said their demand that he be temporarily relieved of his duties as Dean of Administrative Affairs should not be interpreted as a presumption of guilt.“We stand with Professor Doolla as a member of our faculty community and believe that the investigation must be allowed to proceed fairly and impartially,” the statement said.Students maintained that seeking his temporary removal from an administrative position during the inquiry was intended to ensure that the investigation remained completely independent and was not influenced in any manner. Any finding of responsibility, they said, must emerge from the evidence and the investigative process.The representatives also made it clear that they wanted the concerns arising from Sahil’s death to remain student-led and rooted within the IIT Bombay community.They said the incident should not become a platform for external political interests, organisations or narratives to shape concerns that had emerged from the experiences of students on campus.Calling for accountability, transparency and institutional reform, the students said they would continue to raise concerns, represent student voices and work constructively with the institute towards building a safer and more accountable campus.The statement ended on a note of solidarity: “IIT Bombay students are strong. IIT Bombay students are united. Student concerns must remain with the students.”
