{
  "id": 3454940,
  "title": "IIT Delhi Student Death Probe Faces Major Setback As Former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar Recuses Himself From Inquiry Panel",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/iit-delhi-student-death-probe-faces-major-setback-as-former",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-26T06:43:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Free Press Journal",
    "slug": "free-press-journal",
    "url": "https://www.freepressjournal.in/education/iit-delhi-student-death-probe-faces-major-setback-as-former-uttarakhand-dgp-ashok-kumar-recuses-himself-from-inquiry-panel"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "New Delhi: The chair of the committee investigating the death of IIT Delhi student Rishikesh Kumar has stepped down from the panel, citing prior commitments, sources confirmed to ANI. A new chairperson will be named soon. Originally, the five-member External Inquiry Committee included Ashok Kumar, a former Uttarakhand DGP and IIT Delhi graduate, AIIMS New Delhi psychiatrist Prof Pratap Sharma, two student representatives and the institute's Registrar, who served as secretary and convenor. According to a source, the committee's chair had prior engagements that prevented him from effectively participating. Protesters at IIT Delhi had also objected to the proposed committee's composition, demanding a former High Court judge lead the inquiry. Following Rishikesh's death on August 22 from a fall from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex, the institute agreed to appoint an external inquiry panel to probe the circumstances leading to the incident.",
  "summary": "New Delhi: The chair of the committee proposed by IIT Delhi to probe the death of 31-year-old student Rishikesh Kumar, former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, has recused himself from the panel, citing prior commitments, sources at IIT Delhi confirmed to ANI. A new chairperson will be announced soon, sources added. Also Watch: The committee was announced early on Tuesday morning by IIT Delhi Director…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}