IIT Bombay student suicide | Socio-political activist and columnist Sudheendra Kulkarni, who is also an alumnus of IIT Bombay, tweets, "...Since the incident has caught national attention, I think the following points deserve serious consideration. 1) The exact reasons behind the suicide must be impartially investigated, and accountability established. 2) No action should be taken against Prof. Suryanarayana Doolla, who has stellar academic credentials and has received many honours and awards, unless his guilt is established by the probe. 3) The case against Prof. Doolla under the SC/ST Act must be withdrawn. 4) Tragically, many students at IITs and other institutions of higher learning take their own lives. They belong to all castes and communities. The causes behind these tragedies vary. However, if a student belongs to the SC or ST communities, it is wrong to automatically fix guilt on persons belonging to the so-called "upper castes and to seek punishment for them under the stringent provisions of the SC/ST Act. It amounts to "reverse casteism". 5) As media reports suggest, this Act, which is defective on many counts, has been widely misused across the country. Therefore, a wider national debate is needed to reform this law. 6) IITs indeed, all higher education institutions should continually improve campus life, both academic and non-academic, to alleviate the stress most students experience. Additional coaching, peer-support initiatives and other such measures are needed to help students from marginalised communities. 7) Faculty members at IITs also face significant stress. Despite the establishment of many new IITs and a substantial increase in student intake, the number of faculty positions has not increased proportionately. According to media reports, out of 12,498 sanctioned faculty posts across all 23 IITs, 4,804 (38.4%) were vacant as of January 30, 2026. IIT Kharagpur, the first Indian Institute of Technology, established in 1950, has a faculty vacancy rate of 51.3%! 8) If a conscientious faculty member is punished simply for carrying out one's duty as per the Institute's principles and guidelines, doesn't it instil fear across the entire faculty community? As it is, IITs are finding it difficult to recruit top-quality teachers. If the Sword of Damocles in the form of the SC/ST Act hangs over their heads, which patriotic Indian from reputed universities abroad would want to return to India and take up a faculty position at IITs? 9) Every effort must be made by campus communities and society at large to counter casteism and communalism in whatever form they manifest. Our institutions must be allowed to maintain a vibrant intellectual environment that fosters critical thinking and respects diverse streams of ideas. However, activism that breeds bigotry and often receives political patronage or protection for vote-bank considerations must be discouraged. The spirit of social unity, fraternity, harmony, justice, mutual respect and patriotism that we seek at the national level should be nurtured first and foremost on our campuses..."