NEW DELHI: Protests at IIT Delhi entered their second day on Tuesday, with the campus remaining tense as students stepped up demands for an independent probe into the death of a 31-year-old MSc Physics scholar and accountability from institute officials.The protests intensified after a late-night agitation on Monday, while police registered a case of abetment to suicide in connection with the student’s death.Students continued their demonstrations on Tuesday and took out a march on campus, reiterating demands for a transparent investigation, greater student representation in the probe and action against officials they hold responsible for alleged lapses.Amid the growing unrest, IIT Delhi initiated the process of constituting a five-member external inquiry committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the student’s death.The committee will review the functioning of relevant administrative offices, speak to students and faculty members, examine existing protocols and recommend measures to strengthen student support systems.The panel is expected to include former Uttarakhand DGP and IIT Delhi alumnus Ashok Kumar, head of the psychiatry department at AIIMS Delhi Pratap Sharma, the IIT Delhi registrar and two student representatives. The committee has been given two weeks to submit its report.The institute has also proposed appointing an external ombudsperson to address student grievances that remain unresolved through existing internal mechanisms.The move came a day after students boycotted classes and staged protests on campus following the death of the scholar on August 22. Students said the inquiry must be independent and transparent and should include elected student representatives.They also renewed their demand for the resignation of the associate dean of student welfare and other officials, alleging administrative lapses in the handling of the student’s case. Students accused the administration of attempting to portray the death as an isolated incident and said their demand for the resignation of officials had been rejected by the director.The 31-year-old student, who joined IIT Delhi in July 2025 and lived in a campus hostel, allegedly died after jumping from the sixth floor of a building at the institute on August 22.According to police, a PCR call was received at around 8.33am at Kishangarh police station reporting that a student had jumped from a building on the IIT Delhi campus. Police reached the spot and took the injured student to the IIT Delhi campus hospital, where he was declared brought dead.Preliminary investigation suggested that the student entered the campus through the main gate at around 8am, went to the Lecture Hall Complex and took a lift to the sixth floor before allegedly jumping from the front side of the building.A crime team and forensic science laboratory team inspected the spot and collected evidence. Police said no apparent injury marks other than those attributable to the fall were found and no suicide note was recovered. A mobile phone found in the student’s pocket is also being examined.Police are obtaining his counselling records and other relevant information from the institute as part of the investigation.IIT Delhi has said the student was academically bright and had received medical and counselling support over several months before his death.According to the institute, concerns raised by fellow students a few days after Holi prompted it to take him by ambulance to the campus hospital, where he was assessed and supported by a psychiatrist. His family later informed the institute that they wanted to take him to a specialised hospital, where he underwent about a month of inpatient treatment before being discharged.The student subsequently sought withdrawal from the January-May 2026 semester, which the institute approved. His health records were reviewed again in July, and medical advice was given that he should remain under parental supervision. He was also provided counselling and treatment support by an institute counsellor and doctor in July and August. His request to withdraw from the July-November semester was also approved.IIT Delhi said it was also extending financial support to the student’s family through contributions from faculty members, students and staff. Protesters, however, have demanded that the institute provide financial assistance to the family directly.The newly constituted panel is now expected to examine not only the circumstances surrounding the student’s death but also the adequacy of the institute’s existing support and grievance-redressal mechanisms.“The committee will speak to relevant students and faculty members, examine the functioning of the concerned administrative offices, review existing protocols and processes and make recommendations. The panel has been given two weeks to submit its report,” an institute official said.The institute said it would provide the committee with a comprehensive mandate and invite suggestions and concerns from students as it reviews its systems and works towards creating a safer and more supportive campus environment.
