IIT-Delhi forms new panel to probe student’s suicide after previous committee head recuses
IIT-Delhi reconstitutes committee to probe MSc student’s suicide, protest enters 4th day
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Delhi has established a new external probe panel to investigate the suicide of a 31-year-old MSc Physics student who jumped from a building on the campus on August 22. Former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, who had been appointed chair of the committee, withdrew from the panel citing personal reasons.
Retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta has taken over as the new chairperson. The other members of the committee include Pratap Sharan, Head of Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi, two student representatives, and the IIT-Delhi registrar. The student's death has sparked protests on campus, leading to the suspension of classes.
Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against unidentified persons. Preliminary inquiries suggest that the student entered the campus through the main gate, took a lift to the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex, and jumped from the front side of the building. The student was found dead at the institute's campus hospital.
Police are collecting evidence, including the student's mobile phone and counseling records. The IIT-Delhi administration has emphasized the importance of student well-being in fostering a supportive environment and has implemented various measures to address student stress, such as lighter credit loads, increased life skills courses, capped class sizes, and enhanced mental healthcare infrastructure.
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