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IIT Delhi forms external inquiry committee to probe student's death: ‘Profound sorrow, deep shock’
IIT-Delhi also said that its students, faculty and other staff were contributing to extend financial support to the deceased student's family.
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The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Delhi on Tuesday expressed sorrow and shock over the death of a 31-year-old MSc student and said that it was constituting an external inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances leading to his death.
“IIT Delhi expresses its profound sorrow and deep shock at the tragic demise…the Institute stands with his family and friends in this moment of immense grief,” IIT-Delhi said in a statement, adding that its students, faculty and other staff were contributing to extend financial support to the student's family.
The reaction came after huge protests at the Delhi campus seeking “institutional accountability” for the student's death.
What happened to the student?
A 31-year-old, pursuing an MSc in Physics, is said to have jumped to death from the sixth floor of the institute’s Lecture Hall Complex on campus on Saturday, August 22. The incident triggered widespread outrage among IIT-Delhi students with huge protests at the campus on Monday, August 24.
Students carried placards that read “IIT-D: Dreams or Death," as they demanded the resignation of the dean and associate deans of the Students’ Welfare Office, as well as the head of the physics department.
“We demand an independent investigation into the lapses committed by the administration that made the student take his life, address issues like non-allocation of housing facility, denial of academic projects...clear disclosure of the institute’s mental health protocol regarding students seeking counselling. We also demand the resignation of the dean and associate deans (ADSW and ADHM) in the students affairs office and the head of the department, physics, and we demand the family of the student to be compensated adequately and compassionately with ₹1 crore,” the demand charter submitted by the protesting students dated read.
However, the institute didn't refer to claims of suicide in its statement released today, but said that the circumstances of the death are under probe.
Students flagged concerns after Holi: IIT-Delhi
In its statement, the institute also said that the MSc student's fellow mates had raised some concerns after Holi celebrations this year, after which the student was referred to the IIT Delhi Hospital.
"He was assessed and supported by the Institute Psychiatrist, following which his family informed that they want to take him to a specialised hospital. Thereafter, he underwent approximately one month of inpatient treatment at the specialised hospital before being discharged," the statement read.
The institute also said that student's requests to withdraw from second and third semesters were also approved, and medical advice continued to recommend parental supervision.
He also received counselling and treatment support in July and August, the institute said.
