Ex-DGP Ashok Kumar recuses himself from IIT Delhi panel probing student’s death

The committee was constituted to inquire into the circumstances surrounding Kumar’s death.

Ashok Kumar, an IIT Delhi alumnus and Vice-Chancellor of Sports University Haryana, was named as its proposed chairperson.

The committee also comprises Prof Pratap Sharma, head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi, four student representatives, and the IIT Delhi Registrar, who is the secretary and convener of the panel.

The development comes amid continued protests by IIT Delhi students, who are demanding an independent mental health cell and a probe into Kumar’s death.

At a student meeting, the protesting students have decided to intensify their agitation and seek the involvement of IIT Delhi alumni through a signature campaign. They plan to gather again at the Lecture Hall Complex (LHC) and continue pressing their demands.

“We decided to continue the protest. Students decided to gather again at LHC, continue pressing our demands, and collectively decide how to take it forward, one day at a time,” a PG student said.

The students have also asked those holding positions of responsibility on campus to show solidarity with the protesters and sign a letter demanding that the administration accept their demands.

The students discussed allegations of “faculty and peer intimidation” faced by protesting students. The students said they would collectively collate evidence and pursue the matter publicly or through an appropriate redress mechanism.

On the disruption of classes, the students decided, “For the time being”, not to obstruct students who wish to attend classes, saying they would instead appeal to the “individual conscience” of students.

The protesters said they would revisit their decisions at a larger gathering to ensure that the agitation remains collective and democratic and is driven by #JusticeForRishikesh.