IIT-B prof silences Rajdeep Sardesai on TV? This interview is fake

Although Professor Rajkumar Pant appeared on India Today during Rajdeep Sardesai's show, the viral conversation is fake.

In the wake of IIT Bombay student Sahil Wakode’s alleged suicide, a post about an alleged exchange between India Today’s Rajdeep Sardesai and a professor has been widely shared.

Wakode was found dead in his hostel room on September 18. His parents have alleged caste-based harassment and filed an FIR under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The post narrates how IIT Bombay Faculty Forum President, Professor Rajkumar Pant, purportedly silenced Sardesai with his arguments during a TV debate. The conversation supposedly went like this:

“Rajdeep Sardesai: If Prof. Doolla is that good, why are students protesting against him?

Prof. Rajkumar Pant: Students didn’t know the whole story. They only heard that a student was no more, so they started protesting. Now show me one student protesting against Prof. Doolla.

Rajdeep Sardesai: Still, the boy just cheated. He was a Dalit? It’s not a big deal.

Prof. Rajkumar Pant: So what do you want? If a Prof. catches a student cheating, should they first check his caste before taking action? What do you want? Tell me.

After that, Rajdeep Sardesai smiled and said, “It’s time for a break.”

India Today Fact Check found that although Professor Rajkumar Pant did appear on Sardesai’s show, the viral conversation is entirely fictitious.OUR PROBE

India Today anchor Rajdeep Sardesai interviewed Professor Rajkumar Pant on September 22. At no point did Rajdeep Sardesai say that cheating by a Dalit student is not a big deal. Neither did he abruptly end the interview by cutting to commercials.

Nowhere did Pant use the dismissive tone attributed to him in the viral message. Nor did he make a sarcastic comment like, “If a Professor catches a student cheating, should they first check his caste before taking action?”

During the interview, Pant rejected allegations against Professor Suryanarayana Doolla, stating that he is being vilified merely for performing his duty. He expressed worry about people reaching Professor Doola’s ancestral village in Andhra Pradesh. He also cited a statement by IIT Bombay’s SC/SCT Cell, according to which there had been no complaint on record by Sahil Wakode against any faculty member.

Rajdeep Sardesai also called the viral posts “fake”.

Notably, the Faculty Forum of IIT Bombay as well as those of Delhi and Chennai have supported Professor Doolla.

As per The Telegraph, some IIT Bombay teachers have objected to the Faculty Forum’s decision to support Doolla, and questioned the Faculty Forum’s election process and whether it represented all sections of society.

Thus, it’s clear that the viral conversation is not a real exchange that aired on India Today.- Ends