Centre forms panel to probe IIIT-Ranchi student's death amid protests
What's the story
The Ministry of Education has formed a three-member committee to investigate the death of a student at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Ranchi. The student, Aditya Kumar, was found hanging in his hostel room at the institute's Khelgaon campus. The panel will be headed by Professor Rajni Abbi, Director of South Campus, University of Delhi. Other members include a senior psychiatrist and a senior officer from the Ministry of Education.
Investigation goals
Committee tasked with probing circumstances of incident
The committee has been tasked with probing the circumstances of the incident and reviewing the implementation of guidelines related to student welfare.
This includes looking into basic facilities, institutional support systems, counseling arrangements, and grievance redressal mechanisms.
The panel will also identify systemic gaps and recommend measures to improve student well-being at IIIT Ranchi.
Incident overview
Student found hanging in room
The incident came to light on Saturday night when hostel inmates alerted the administration after finding the first-year student's room locked from the inside.
He was found hanging from the ceiling in his room.
An ambulance on campus rushed him to a hospital, but he was declared brought dead.
"Preliminary investigation suggests the victim committed suicide under examination pressure, with exams having started on October 8," Khelgaon Police Station in-charge Nirbhay Kumar said.
Student unrest
Protests on campus over negligence allegations
But the incident triggered protests on the IIIT Ranchi campus, with students alleging negligence on part of college authorities in taking the victim to hospital.
The protests, which went on for two days, saw nearly 1,000 students from BTech, MTech and PhD programs participating.
They alleged that lack of basic facilities at the institute contributed to the tragedy.
The students have alleged that the hostel food was unhygienic and of poor quality.
Allegations
Protesters also accused the institute's director of corruption
They also claimed that when Aditya needed to be taken to hospital, the hostel lift was out of order.
"It is a murder case....because the victim was alive. The college authorities took no accountability; their ambulance had no driver....The warden stopped us from giving...CPR to save his life," Vaibhav, a first-year student, told media.
The protesters also accused the institute's director, Rajiv Srivastava, of corruption and demanded his resignation.
They held the administration responsible for failing to provide adequate facilities.