After campus protest, IIT Delhi names new panel to investigate student’s death

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has established a new five-member inquiry committee to examine the circumstances of MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar's death, occurring five days after more than 500 students staged a protest on campus and demanded an impartial investigation. Justice Mukta Gupta, a former Delhi High Court judge, has been chosen to lead the panel.

Additionally, Prof. Pratap Sharan from the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS New Delhi, two student representatives whose names are still to be disclosed, and the IIT Delhi Registrar, serving as Secretary and Convenor, form the committee. The committee will convene students, faculty, and officials from pertinent administrative divisions, examine the current campus protocols, and present its final report, including recommendations, within a fortnight.

IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee announced the panel's formation in an official email to faculty members, students, and staff early on August 27. Kumar, aged 31, reportedly took his own life by leaping from the sixth floor of a campus building on Saturday. The Delhi Police have lodged an FIR for aiding suicide against unidentified individuals. The selection of Justice Mukta Gupta emerged as a crucial demand among the protesting students.