IIT-D suicide: Students pause stir, to wait for inquiry report

The protest started on August 24, two days after the death of the MSc Physics student, with protesters demanding accountability from the institute.

Students at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi said on Sunday that they have paused their protest over the alleged suicide of a 31-year-old student until the external inquiry committee’s report is released, according to a press statement issued by a students’ body.

Students stage protest at IIT Delhi following the death of an MSc Physics student. (X/Ashutosh Ranka)

The protest started on August 24, two days after the death of the MSc Physics student, with protesters demanding accountability from the institute.

In the statement, seen by HT, the students said they decided on August 29 to halt their protest after the university administration accepted one of their demands: the constitution of an external inquiry committee to look into the death, whose chairperson and student members would be nominated by the protesting students. “The protest has been paused until the committee’s report is shared with all students, all faculty, and all staff,” the statement read.

“The concerned students will collectively make submissions to the external inquiry committee and the IIT Delhi administration, highlighting the lapses in the processes and protocols around the mental health support system of IIT Delhi. We hope the institute administration responds to these concerns sincerely,” it added.

The students also demanded ₹1 crore in compensation for victim’s mother, who instead asked the administration to consider assigning living quarters, or a section of the same, for students navigating mental health issues.

IIT director Rangan Banerjee said discussions are underway between the university and Kumar’s family and friends.

Students seek accountability from senior officials

Another demand was the resignation of the dean of student affairs, associate dean of hostel management, and associate dean of student welfare.

“New deans for the first two positions have been appointed due to the completion of the tenures of the previous appointees,” the statement read, adding that the committee will be asked to look into the deans’ “roles in the alleged lapses.”

Meanwhile, the students have refuted Banerjee’s allegations, saying they did not protest near the hospital, medical facilities, or women’s residential hostels. They said they confined the protest to main transit roads and limited the slogans to “institutional accountability, transparency, and appeals for community solidarity.”