Day 4 of protest: IIT Delhi reconstitutes committee to probe MSc student’s suicide

The panel will also include Prof Pratap Sharan, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, two student representatives whose names are yet to be decided, and IIT Delhi Registrar, who will serve as its Secretary and Convenor, Director Rangan Banerjee said in an email to faculty, students and staff on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday.

The appointment of Justice Gupta was among the suggestions made by the protesting students, who had objected to the composition of the earlier committee and sought an independent inquiry into Kumar’s death.

The earlier panel comprised Ashok Kumar, the vice chancellor of the Sports University of Haryana who is an IIT-D alumnus and a former police chief of Uttarakhand; Pratap Sharma, head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi; two student representatives, and the IIT-D Registrar who would be the secretary and convener of the committee.

But late Monday, the students objected to the presence of the former Uttarakhand DGP on the panel, saying he had earlier linked protests by students to “radicalisation” and “digital terrorism”.

The revamped committee is tasked with discussing the incident of suicide with relevant students, faculty, and administrative branches, reviewing existing campus protocols, and submitting a final report with recommendations within two weeks.

Protest continues

The protests continued through Wednesday, with students deciding to widen their campaign, seek alumni support and press the institute on demands it has not accepted.

Students had been seeking an independent inquiry into Kumar’s death, resignation of the Dean, Associate Dean (Student Welfare), Associate Dean (Hostel Management) and Head of the Physics Department, and at least Rs 1 crore in compensation for his family.

The administration had on Tuesday agreed to reconstitute the committee set up to probe Kumar’s death, provide financial assistance through its benevolent fund and create a separate fund for voluntary contributions from students, faculty and staff. It had, however, not accepted the demands for resignations or a specific compensation amount.

The fourth day of the protest was marked by students alleging that some police personnel in civilian clothes had been recording them. The personnel, denying the claims, said they were present as part of security arrangements.

Unconvinced, a large group of students gathered outside the security control room and demanded a sit-in.

‘Won’t stop anyone from attending class’

Students have stayed away from most classes since Monday. The ongoing mobilisation is unusual at IIT-Delhi. Students are demanding accountability for what they say is the eighth suicide of a student on campus since 2023.

On disruption of classes, students said they had “for the time being, decided not to obstruct any individual’s decision to attend classes”.

“Our method is to appeal to the individual conscience of every student on campus. We trust each other’s judgement to evaluate the urgency of the moment in the right way,” read the minutes of the meeting after a collective students’ body meeting.

Students also said they anticipated attempts to provoke protesters as the agitation continued. “…as the protest continues, students will be rage-baited through texts and comments. We would deny such people engagement. We stand with each other in rage. We stand with each other with care. We stand with each other for collective justice,” the minutes added.