PhD student from IIT-Delhi dies as excavation pit collapses over her near Harappan site in Gujarat

The condition of her professor, 45-year-old Yama Dixit from IIT-Delhi, who was rescued by the first responders, is said to be “fragile”.

The incident took place around 11 am on Wednesday when the joint team of four researchers from IIT-Delhi and IIT-Gandhinagar had gone to Lothal – the ancient port city – to study paleoclimatology.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), Vadodara Circle, has sent a team to Lothal to investigate the incident and submit its report.

Om Prakash Jat, Superintendent of Police, Rural Ahmedabad, said, “The team had dug up a pit in Lothal and were collecting samples when the pit collapsed, burying two of the four members at the spot. It took the police 15 minutes to reach the site due to the distance between the accident spot and the nearest police station. In all, there were five people there, including the driver.”
Lothal is located 20 km away from the nearest police station in Koth, and 70 km from Ahmedabad.

SP Jat said, “We managed to rescue Professor Dixit but her condition was fragile. She was moved to CHC Bagodara, Ahmedabad, and later to Apollo Hospital in Gandhinagar because she had breathing problems and her oxygen was lower than optimum levels.”

Dikshit is an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Atmospheric Sciences (CAS) at IIT-Delhi where Verma was pursuing her research.

Sub Inspector P N Gohil of Koth police station said the team was carrying out their exercise outside the boundaries of the main protected archeological site.

The SI told The Indian Express, “The academicians were conducting their sample-collection exercise outside the main archaeological site of Lothal. They had hired someone with an excavator to dig a pit near the old, dilapidated guest houses and were carrying out their work inside. However, since the soil in this area is very loose and the fact that water surged from the ground could be the reasons behind the collapse.”

Police said that an Accidental Death (AD) report has been filed.

Police confirmed that no designated archaeologists were present at the site when the incident occurred, adding that the locals informed the police about the accident. (Express Photo)

The other two members of the team are Associate Professor VN Prabhakar and Senior Research Fellow Shikha Rai — both from the Archaeological Sciences Centre at IIT Gandhinagar.

On Wednesday evening, a post-mortem examination was performed on Verma’s body at CHC Bagodara and her family was informed about her death.

Police confirmed that no designated archaeologists were present at the site when the incident occurred, adding, it was the locals who informed the police about the accident.

“A team from Vadodara has been sent to the site to inquire into the incident. Whether permission for the excavation was given to them and by whom will be inquired,” Dr Abhijit Ambekar, Superintending Archaeologist at ASI Vadodara Circle, told The Indian Express.

Sources said the ASI has been asked to submit the report within 24 hours.

Based on preliminary reports, it is being suspected that the researchers did not have permission from authorised agencies to excavate at the site, which is a prohibited area. Sources also claimed that looking into the methodology employed, it seems the academic team may have lacked expertise in excavation at such sites.