IIT Delhi Orders External Inquiry Into MSc Student’s Death

IIT Delhi has formed an external panel to investigate the demise of Rishikesh Kumar, a 31-year-old MSc Physics student who met his death by falling from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex on August 22. This has been done just a day after hundreds of students staged a sit-in demonstration at the institute to demand an investigation into the matter and raise some doubts regarding the support system for students. This shows that students’ safety counts. It has been told by the police have said that no suicide note was left behind and that the case is still under investigation.

Five-Member Panel for Inquiry Into Death

As per sources at IIT Delhi, the Committee consists of Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar. Ashok Kumar is an alumnus of the institute. Presently works as Vice Chancellor of Sports University, Haryana. The panel also consists of Professor Pratap Sharma, Head of the Department of Psychiatry, AIIMS New Delhi; two representatives from the student community, and the Registrar of the institute, who will serve as convenor. In an e-mail sent to the students on Tuesday morning, Director Rangan Banerjee said the panel will consult students and faculty members, analyze administration functioning and protocols, and make recommendations in two weeks.

Measures of Support to Kumar's Family

I am happy to know that the institute has taken these measures. The institute has provided support to Kumar's family. The support would be in the form of monetary aid that would be given from the institute's benevolent fund along with another fund which is collected by the students, faculty, and staff members of the institute through donations. Another measure has been taken by IIT Delhi in the form of hiring an Ombudsperson to handle the grievances of the students that could not be handled. IIT Delhi has also planned to launch a mentorship program that would pair faculty and senior students with the students in need of guidance. These measures have been taken after several meetings that were held on campus on Monday.