Delhi Police register abetment to suicide case in IIT Delhi student's death

Protests erupted at the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi after a 31-year-old M.Sc Physics student, Rishikesh Kumar, allegedly took his own life by jumping from the sixth floor of a campus building on Saturday. The incident has sparked outrage among students, who claim it marks the eighth suicide at the institute since 2023.

Demonstrators are demanding that the Dean and Associate Deans resign, an independent inquiry into the suicides, and compensation for Kumar's family. A crucial demand is the resignation of Prof Sreedevi Upadhyaula, the Associate Dean of Student Welfare. However, IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee has thus far rejected these demands.

On Tuesday morning, over 500 students occupied the Lecture Hall Complex on campus, with an additional 2,000 gathering outside. The night prior saw students hold a candlelight vigil, march around the campus, and escalate their protest into the morning. The gates of the complex were secured, and security personnel were instructed to deny entry to all technical staff, parents and family members of students, as well as other visitors.

This unprecedented mobilization is rare at IIT-D, one of India's most esteemed educational institutions. Students are demanding accountability for the alleged suicides and expressing frustration with the institute's response, which they feel has done little to satisfy their demands.