Students have been protesting since Monday. (Image Credit: X)
Police register abetment case
NEW DELHI: The chairperson of the committee proposed by IIT Delhi to probe the death of 31-year-old student Rishikesh Kumar has recused himself from the panel, citing prior commitments, sources at the institute told news agency ANI. Students have been protesting since Monday following Rishikesh’s death on August 22. Rishikesh entered the IIT Delhi campus through the main gate at around 8 am on August 22, according to the preliminary inquiry. A PCR call regarding the incident was received at around 8.30 am at Kishangarh police station.
A new chairperson will be announced soon, according to ANI. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Delhi | Silver Rate in Delhi | Bank Holidays in Delhi | Public Holidays in Delhi | Delhi AQI | Weather in Delhi | Petrol Price in Delhi | Diesel Price in Delhi | CNG Price in Delhi | LPG Price in Delhi Stay updated with the latest Delhi news.
“The chair of the committee has recused himself from the panel citing prior commitments,” a source in the IIT told ANI. Police had earlier said that no suicide note was recovered from the spot. The circumstances leading to the student’s death and the role, if any, of others are being investigated, officials said.
The proposed panel 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 also objected to the proposed composition of the committee and demanded that it be headed by a former high court judge. Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against unidentified persons in connection with Rishikesh’s death. He subsequently went to the Lecture Hall Complex, where he took a lift to the sixth floor and allegedly jumped from the front side of the building. He was rushed to the institute’s campus hospital, where he was declared brought dead. A police team reached the campus, while a crime team and a forensic science laboratory unit were also called to collect evidence. A mobile phone found in Rishikesh’s pocket was seized and is being examined. As part of the investigation, police are also obtaining his counselling records and other relevant information from the institute. Download the TOI App.
Former Uttarakhand DGP and IIT Delhi alumnus Ashok Kumar was named as the chair of the five-member External Inquiry Committee on Tuesday. The committee was announced early on Tuesday morning by IIT Delhi Director Prof Rangan Banerjee in an email to students.
In a press release issued on August 25, the institute said the committee would be given the necessary mandate to examine the matter comprehensively and identify further measures required to strengthen student support systems. “Rishikesh ji committed suicide by jumping from the sixth floor of LHC at 8 AM on Saturday.
The institute also said it was proposing the appointment of an external ombudsperson to address student grievances that remain unresolved through existing internal mechanisms. Second-year B.Tech student Saksham, who said he knew Rishikesh personally, said students were continuing their protest as they felt their demands had not been adequately addressed. The institute has also said it is extending financial support to Rishikesh’s family through contributions from faculty, students and staff.
They are demanding an independent probe, the resignation of the Dean of Student Welfare and financial assistance for the deceased student’s family, among other demands. IIT Delhi had agreed to constitute an external inquiry committee to examine the circumstances leading to Rishikesh’s death. The actual demands were not accepted to a great extent.
After that, the anger among the public increased, and our protest started on Monday.
Rishikesh joined the institute in July 2025 and was residing in a hostel on campus, according to IIT Delhi. 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, the students are quite angry about this.
Students are strongly opposed to the politicization 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. 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 said. “This mobilization and politicization is gradually creeping in, influenced by JNU.
“Especially given that casteist remarks were made yesterday.
“This is the eighth death in 30 months.
I had met him personally, but I did not know him very well,” Saksham said. If the internal system is the same, then no solution will come,” he said. Saksham also said there were attempts to steer the protest away from the students’ core demands. The institute said that following concerns raised by fellow students a few days after the Holi festivities earlier this year, he was referred to the institute hospital and subsequently received treatment at a specialised hospital for approximately one month. After a review of his health records in July, medical advice was given that he should continue under parental supervision, the institute said. IIT Delhi said Rishikesh received counselling and treatment support from institute counsellors and doctors in July and August.
“There was talk of compensation, investigation, and free and fair system change, but no concrete decision on all these has been taken yet; hence, students are continuing their protest. “We have a Purvanchal community that keeps the communities of Eastern UP and Bihar together, so I met him through them. He was of a very helpful nature. When he met me, he was a completely normal person with good leadership and a strong personality. Since he was of that type, we never thought that he would take such a step,” he added furher. Saksham also alleged that the latest death was part of a longer pattern of deaths at the institute. Every time, the administration used to say that an investigation committee would be formed and a report would come, but nothing happens on solid ground. Now what the students are saying is: resign and do all this, and you remove these people. “But this is also not the solution. Students are also slowly understanding now that resignation will ultimately replace the elites. “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. His request to withdraw from the second semester was approved. His request to withdraw from the third semester was also approved.