4 min learnNew DelhiUp to date: Aug 25, 2026 10:30 AM IST
At 9 a.m. on Monday, college students started gathering close to the Lecture Corridor Complicated on the Indian Institute of Expertise (IIT) Delhi. By night, almost 300 of them had moved to the first-floor foyer of the institute’s fundamental constructing, outdoors the director’s workplace, demanding accountability from the administration.
For a campus the place pupil protests are an uncommon sight, the mobilisation was putting.
The protest got here two days after a 31-year-old MSc Physics student, Rishikesh, died allegedly by suicide after leaping from the sixth ground of a constructing on the campus. College students mentioned his dying was the eighth suicide on the institute since 2023, and demanded the resignation of a Dean and Affiliate Deans, together with an impartial inquiry and compensation for his household.
“We aren’t right here after one suicide. Not after two. We’re right here after eight. How is it not sufficient for them?” a pupil mentioned.
The morning started across the Lecture Corridor Complicated, the place college students gathered and mentioned their calls for. Amongst them have been the resignation of Professor Sreedevi Upadhyaula, Affiliate Dean of Scholar Welfare, an inquiry into the deaths, and Rs 1 crore in compensation for Rishikesh’s household.
After a quick silence in reminiscence of Rishikesh, college students started speaking about what they described as a sample of “administrative indifference”. “Rishikesh had taken a semester-long withdrawal after his father’s dying earlier this 12 months due to psychological well being difficulties. He underwent remedy for greater than a month,” a pupil mentioned.
“When he returned to the hostel in late July, nonetheless, his title had been faraway from the hostel rolls due to his withdrawal,” one other pupil mentioned.
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College students alleged that regardless of health clearances from the hospitals the place he had been handled, Rishikesh was requested to acquire one other clearance from the IIT Delhi hospital earlier than he may very well be allotted a room. “He was ultimately pressured to remain in rented lodging outdoors the campus together with his mom,” a pupil mentioned.
“Each time we attempt to discuss issues, they inform us, ‘It’s best to go away for those who can’t cope.’ They’ve an absence of empathy,” one other pupil mentioned, whereas protesting.
The administration had cancelled all lessons on Monday because the protest gathered momentum. By late afternoon, the centre of the demonstration had shifted from the Lecture Corridor Complicated to the primary constructing.
By 5 p.m., the first-floor foyer outdoors IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee’s workplace had turn out to be the guts of the protest. Round 300 college students had gathered there. Banerjee had already acquired the scholars’ checklist of calls for and was assembly representatives, together with Professor Sreedevi.
At about 5:30 p.m., Banerjee emerged from his workplace.
The scholars cheered.
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He introduced that an inquiry committee can be constituted. However he additionally mentioned that Professor Sreedevi wouldn’t resign at that time.
The cheers shortly become hoots. Professor Sreedevi was escorted out via a again entrance of the constructing. “If she will be able to’t face us, how will she resolve our issues?” one pupil requested.
One other pupil mentioned: “If we lose a credit score, we’re punished. Why is she not being punished? If we don’t really feel secure speaking to her, what’s the purpose of her being in that chair?”
On the query of compensation, Banerjee mentioned Rs 6 lakh, together with all medical bills incurred by Rishikesh, can be paid to his single mom.
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The announcement drew little consolation from the group. “What’s a single mom imagined to do with that? They have been struggling financially anyway,” a pupil mentioned.
In line with a preliminary police inquiry, Rishikesh entered the IIT Delhi campus via the primary gate at round 8 a.m. on Saturday. He then went to the Lecture Corridor Complicated and took a elevate to the sixth ground earlier than allegedly leaping from the entrance facet of the constructing, a senior police officer mentioned. His dying was the second alleged suicide on the institute this 12 months. In March, a 19-year-old BTech pupil was discovered useless inside his residence on the campus.
