IIT Delhi students protest after eighth campus death, institute forms external panel
Nearly 300 students gathered following the suicide of MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar. A five-member external committee has been tasked with investigating the death and reviewing mental-health protocols, with a report due in two weeks.
New Delhi1 min read
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Students at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi staged a rare campus protest on Monday after the eighth student death in recent years.
Nearly 300 students joined the demonstration. The immediate trigger was the death of 31-year-old MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar, who jumped from the sixth floor of a campus building on Saturday. Protesters said they had come because of eight deaths and demanded accountability over mental health support and systemic pressures.
The institute responded by constituting a five-member external panel. Members include former Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, AIIMS New Delhi professor Pratap Sharma, two student representatives and the institute registrar. The panel is to investigate the latest death and review existing protocols. Its report is expected within two weeks.
IIT Delhi has faced recurring questions about student mental health and the intensity of academic and residential life. The protest marked one of the more visible internal responses in recent memory.
Campus authorities have not released further details on the individual cases beyond confirming the latest incident and the formation of the panel.
