NEW DELHI: A second-year BTech student at IIT Delhi has opposed what he described as the “politicisation” of protests over the death of 31-year-old MSc student Rishikesh Kumar, saying outside political influences were beginning to affect the unity of the agitation.Saksham told ANI that students wanted the protest to remain focused on student welfare and systemic reforms at the institute, rather than political agendas.“There is an issue with the active discourse; people within the system with political agendas are trying to steer this in a different direction. They want the process to drag on–with hearings and calls for resignations–without any actual change happening on the ground,” he said.He alleged that political mobilisation linked to other university campuses was gradually becoming part of the IIT Delhi protest.“This mobilisation and politicisation is gradually creeping in, influenced by JNU. The students are quite angry about this because this is an IIT Delhi protest–not one belonging to JNU, DU, or anywhere else–and we don’t want outside influences dictating what should happen or how things should proceed,” Saksham said.He also objected to what he described as caste-based and partisan remarks during the protests.“Especially given that casteist remarks were made yesterday. Students are strongly opposed to the politicisation stemming from the rivalry between the ‘Left lobby’ and the ‘Right lobby’. They do not want any political agenda propagated here, nor do they want slogans or posters associated with any specific political faction,” he said.“However, the influence coming from JNU has started causing some issues; students are becoming angry, and the unity that existed during the protests is beginning to waver,” he added.Saksham’s remarks came a day after All India Students’ Association (AISA) president Neha Bora extended support to the protesting students and described Kumar’s death as an “institutional murder”, alleging that systemic pressure was responsible.Kumar died on August 22 after falling from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex at IIT Delhi. Police have said that no suicide note was recovered and that the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.Students have been protesting since his death, demanding an independent probe, financial assistance for his family, the resignation of the Dean of Student Welfare and reforms to the institute’s student welfare and mental health support systems.Saksham said students were seeking broader systemic changes rather than simply the resignation of officials.“The reality is that every time an incident occurs, the administration simply claims that an investigation will be conducted and a committee will be set up. Every time, the same cycle repeats: a committee is formed, a report is submitted, everything goes on paper, but nothing concrete changes on the ground,” he had said.He has also called for an independent and dedicated Mental Health Cell at IIT Delhi to provide students with a separate mechanism to seek support and raise grievances.Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, who was proposed as chairperson of the external inquiry committee constituted by IIT Delhi, has recused himself from the panel, citing prior commitments, sources at the institute confirmed to ANI.A new chairperson will be announced soon, the sources said.The proposed five-member committee, announced by IIT Delhi Director Prof Rangan Banerjee, included Ashok Kumar, AIIMS New Delhi psychiatry department head Prof Pratap Sharma, two student representatives and the institute’s Registrar, who was to serve as secretary and convenor.Some protesting students had objected to the proposed composition and demanded that the panel be headed by a former High Court judge.IIT Delhi has said the external committee will examine the circumstances leading to Kumar’s death and recommend further measures to strengthen student support systems. The institute has also proposed appointing an external ombudsperson to address student grievances that remain unresolved through existing internal mechanisms.According to IIT Delhi, Kumar joined the institute in July 2025 and was staying in a hostel on campus. The institute said he received counselling and treatment support in July and August, and that his requests to withdraw from the second and third semesters were approved.The institute has also said it is extending financial support to Kumar’s family through contributions from faculty, students and staff.(With inputs from ANI)
