Overview
- A 31-year-old M.Sc. physics student, Rishikesh Kumar, died after an apparent fall from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex on Saturday, August 22, and police recovered his mobile phone for examination.
- Kishangarh police have registered a case under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for abetment of suicide and are obtaining the student’s counselling and medical records from the institute.
- Hundreds of students held a day-long sit-in on Monday, August 24, submitted a demand charter that sought an independent probe, resignations of student‑welfare officials, Rs 1 crore for the family, and protection for protesters.
- IIT Delhi has appointed a five‑member external inquiry chaired by Ashok Kumar with Prof. Pratap Sharma and two student representatives and asked for a report within two weeks while offering financial assistance and proposing an external ombudsperson.
- Students and the family allege institutional failings such as delayed hostel allocation and denied project work, protesters cite a pattern of recent campus suicides, and the dispute over the panel’s independence could shape any wider reforms to counselling and student‑welfare systems.