IIT Bombay Has Been Suppressing Student Voices for Years, Says APPSC, Listing Earlier Cases: “October 18 Was Not the First Time”

Mumbai- Days after the violence against protesting students at IIT Bombay on October 18, and the withholding of their belongings for 11 days, the Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle (APPSC) has hit out at the administration. The collective says the episode is not a first. In its account, student voices have been repeatedly suppressed in recent years, while the space available to students on campus has steadily shrunk. It has now released a list of earlier cases to make its point.

APPSC alleges that during Prof. Suryanarayan Doolla’s tenure as Dean of Student Affairs (Dean SA), the Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) imposed highly disproportionate punishments in several cases. It also says many students have reported harassment by Prof. Doolla, who it claims is known as a “tyrant” within his own department.

1. Student who went to complain said he felt suicidal.

According to the statement, one student approached the administration to file a harassment complaint against another student. After interacting with Prof. Doolla, the student reported feeling suicidal. Another student alleged being threatened in the hospital to consent to “voluntary” admission to a psychiatric care facility.

2. Suspended for speaking to the media (2024).

APPSC says two students, who were then APPSC members, were suspended in 2024 merely for speaking to the media, though no rule at the time barred students from doing so. One was suspended for eight months. The other, who comes from a Dalit background, was suspended for 13 months, permanently expelled from the hostel and barred from campus for 13 months, which the collective calls humiliating. It says this denied him access to the library, the hospital, the reading room and his peer community, all of which students rely on heavily in the absence of institutional mechanisms to support them.

3. All appeal routes blocked.

The statement alleges that every internal channel for appealing the DAC decision was shut, denying the student basic rights and violating the principles of natural justice. The student and his parents wrote multiple letters, but the administration did not respond to any for seven straight months, forcing them to approach the Bombay High Court. APPSC argues that permanently expelling a student from the hostel in a city as expensive as Mumbai shows an intent to end his academic career. Even after he resumed academic work, it says, he bears the financial burden of arranging his own residence, the inconvenience of living off campus, and the strain of continuing his research.

4. Heavy fine for objecting to a “veg-only” mess section.

APPSC claims that Prof. Doolla, as Dean SA, earlier fined another marginalised student a hefty amount for objecting to a vegetarian-only section in a hostel mess. The collective calls such punishment disproportionate and discriminatory, says it reveals a deep-seated casteist attitude in the IIT Bombay administration, and alleges the aim is to deter marginalised students from being vocal critics.

5. Every protest followed by new restrictions.

The statement says stringent security rules were introduced under Chief Security Officer Ambuj Khare, including heavy restrictions on campus entry, increased police presence and curbs on autos entering the campus. APPSC alleges that the curbing of student spaces only increased with time, and that each instance of students exercising their democratic rights was met with a crackdown, followed by even more restrictive measures in the name of security.

6. Hostel 14 case (2025)

According to APPSC, an alumnus was found recording students in private spaces, including hostel rooms and bathrooms. When the matter was reported to IIT security, images and videos amounting to about 30 GB were discovered, yet the institute was hesitant to act. The collective says the alumnus was reported to the police only under immense pressure from students. It alleges that the institute then declared he could not be barred from campus because he was an alumnus, though it had no issue banning a Dalit student from entering. The statement describes the accused as a Brahmin alumnus and says the mishandling of the case under then Dean SA Doolla exposed gaping flaws in IIT security, which APPSC claims is primarily focused on curbing student freedom in the guise of security measures.

Allegation of broken promises by the Director

According to the statement, Director Shireesh Kedare agreed to the demand for equal representation of students in all decision-making bodies. A month later, APPSC says, the agreed deadline for demonstrating concrete changes has been breached, and promises made before the entire student community and signed in writing have been openly violated.

The collective alleges that instead of honouring these commitments and respectfully stepping down, the Director has doubled down on repression of student voices, colluding with the police and enabling the detention, abuse and harassment of students.

APPSC said it condemns the complete denial of students’ stake in campus life and rejects an administrative order in which punishment takes precedence over education, intimidation over dialogue and obedience over free expression. It compared the situation at IIT Bombay under Director Kedare to the “dandaniti” (doctrine of punishment) of Manu’s order, alleging that marginalised students are met with hostility, that their grievances are routinely ignored and that their voices are suppressed when they raise questions.

The collective called on the student community to unite and struggle to reclaim its democratic rights, restore student spaces and build an institute of empathy and equality. It concluded by rejecting an “institute of exclusive excellence” that thrives on the silencing of dissent, the subjugation of students and the crushing of democratic rights.