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IIT Delhi sets up probe panel after protesting students reject committee
IIT Delhi sets up probe panel after protesting students reject committee
IIT Delhi students are protesting and have rejected the external inquiry committee formed after the death of MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar, calling such panels routine and ineffective. They allege the institute's…
IIT Delhi students are protesting and have rejected the external inquiry committee formed after the death of MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar, calling such panels routine and ineffective. They allege the institute's counselling system dismisses genuine distress as a formality. The protests continue with demands for the resignation of the Dean of Student Affairs, Associate Deans and the Physics HOD.
The institute constituted the three-member committee headed by former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, with AIIMS Delhi psychiatry head Professor Pratap Sharma and two student representatives. It submitted that Kumar joined in July 2025, developed mental health issues in March 2026, was advised parental supervision, and had withdrawal from semesters approved before his death. The panel has two weeks to report.
IIT Delhi announced reimbursement of Kumar's medical expenses, financial assistance from its benevolent fund, a voluntary faculty-staff-student fund, and plans for an external ombudsperson and a mentoring system for students requiring parental support. The protest remains underway with the resignation demands unaddressed.
Indian Opinion Analysis
IIT Delhi's response mirrors a pattern seen at other central universities after student suicides, where external committees are formed but systemic reforms often stall. The protesters' rejection of the panel reflects a broader distrust among students at premier institutes, where counselling and grievance mechanisms are perceived as surface-level. The death of Rishikesh Kumar, a first-year MSc student who had been advised to stay under parental supervision after developing mental health issues, raises questions about the adequacy of support for students returning from medical leave. The institute has not addressed the demand for the Dean's resignation, a flashpoint that could prolong the protest. The committee must report within two weeks, and an external ombudsperson is promised, but the test will be whether these produce concrete changes or are seen as another routine measure.
Source: timesnownews.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
