Now Reading: IIT Delhi forms probe panel after student death, protest demands dean’s resignation
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IIT Delhi forms probe panel after student death, protest demands dean’s resignation
IIT Delhi forms probe panel after student death, protest demands dean’s resignation
IIT Delhi has set up an external inquiry committee into the death of M.Sc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar, but protesting students have rejected the panel as a routine measure that fails to…
IIT Delhi has set up an external inquiry committee into the death of M.Sc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar, but protesting students have rejected the panel as a routine measure that fails to address campus problems. They also demanded the resignation of the Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Deans and the Physics HOD, which the institute has not addressed.
The committee is headed by former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar and includes AIIMS psychiatry professor Pratap Sharma, two student representatives and the registrar. It must submit its report within two weeks. The institute also plans to appoint an external ombudsperson and introduce a mentoring system for students who need parental support.
Kumar, who joined IIT Delhi in July 2025, had developed mental health issues in March 2026 and was advised parental supervision. His second and third semester withdrawals were approved. The institute has announced reimbursement of medical expenses and financial aid from its benevolent fund for his family.
Indian Opinion Analysis
IIT Delhi has seen at least seven student deaths since 2019, including two in 2023, but the institute has not publicly released cumulative suicide data. The demand for the Dean of Student Affairs to resign echoes a recurring pattern: after a student death by suicide at IIT Bombay in 2024, the institute merged the Dean of Student Affairs role with that of the Dean of Academic Programmes. Under the UGC's 2016 guidelines on student mental health, every higher education institution must have a counselling centre with professional psychologists, and the ombudsperson role proposed by IIT Delhi is already mandatory under the UGC's 2023 regulations. The two-week deadline for the committee's report means students will watch for any action by mid-September before deciding whether to escalate protests.
Source: timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
