IIT-Delhi Reconstitutes Suicide Probe Panel After Initial Head Recuses

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi has formed a new external probe panel to investigate the circumstances of a student's death, appointing retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta as its chairperson. This development follows the recusal of the initially appointed chair, former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, who cited personal reasons.

The reconstituted panel includes Pratap Sharan, Head of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi, along with two student representatives and the IIT-Delhi registrar. This five-member committee was established after outraged students protested on campus, leading to the suspension of classes. The student, a 31-year-old MSc Physics student, allegedly died by suicide on August 22 after jumping from a building on campus.

Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against unidentified individuals. Preliminary inquiries indicate the student entered the campus on August 22 and proceeded to the Lecture Hall Complex, where he allegedly jumped from the sixth floor. He was pronounced dead at the institute's campus hospital.

In response to the incident, IIT-Delhi stated that it prioritizes student well-being. The institute highlighted recent curriculum changes aimed at reducing student stress, including lighter first-semester credit loads, added life skills courses, capped departmental class sizes, minimized weekend exams, and flexible credit distribution. Furthermore, the minimum CGPA requirement for the B.Tech. degree was removed starting the 2024-25 academic year. The institute also emphasized its commitment to mentorship, mental healthcare, grievance redressal, and diversity initiatives.