IIT Delhi to reconstitute inquiry panel on student suicide after pushback

The Delhi police have registered an FIR for aiding in a suicide and are now investigating the death by suicide of 31-year-old IIT Delhi student Rishikesh Kumar. The incident, which occurred on August 22, has sparked protests on campus. The police have registered the FIR against "unknown" individuals, and it was done on the same evening as the incident.

The college's chief security officer reported the event to the police immediately after it took place. Kumar was found dead after jumping from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex. The police probe has been initiated following orders from the Supreme Court's National Task Force (NTF), set up in March to tackle mental health issues and prevent suicides in colleges.

The NTF recommended that universities immediately inform local police about any unnatural deaths or suicides on their premises, prompting a thorough investigation. CCTV footage reportedly shows Kumar walking alone shortly before taking the elevator to the sixth floor. This is the second such incident at IIT Delhi this year, with a 19-year-old BTech student, Harshit Swami, previously found dead in his hostel room in March.

The cause of his death is believed to be hanging from a ceiling fan, and a case for abetment of suicide has also been registered at Kishan Garh Police station.