Pawan Khera seeks wider probe into IIT suicides after Rishikesh Kumar case; cites 70 student deaths

New Delhi: Congress leader Pawan Khera on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into the death by suicide of IIT Delhi student Rishikesh Kumar and demanded a comprehensive probe into student suicides across the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) over the past five years.

In a post on X, Khera claimed that around 70 IIT students had died by suicide during the period and accused the government of failing to take adequate action to address the issue.

“Education System or Guillotine? 70 IIT students have died by suicide over the last five years,” Khera wrote.

He said an independent inquiry was needed not only into Rishikesh Kumar’s death but also into the deaths of IIT students over the past five years.

Khera said the government had a responsibility to determine whether the incidents were isolated cases or indicative of a wider systemic problem affecting students at the premier engineering institutes.

The demand comes after 31-year-old IIT Delhi MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar died on August 22 after falling from the sixth floor of the institute’s Lecture Hall Complex.

Police have said no suicide note was recovered and that the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.

IIT Delhi probe panel faces setback

Meanwhile, former Uttarakhand DGP and IIT Delhi alumnus Ashok Kumar has recused himself as chair of the external inquiry committee proposed by the institute to investigate Rishikesh’s death.

Sources at IIT Delhi said Kumar stepped down from the panel citing prior commitments. The institute is expected to appoint a new chairperson.

The five-member committee was announced by IIT Delhi Director Professor Rangan Banerjee in an email to students early on Tuesday.

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The proposed panel included Ashok Kumar, AIIMS New Delhi psychiatry department head Professor Pratap Sharma, two student representatives and the institute’s Registrar, who was to serve as secretary and convenor.

“The chair of the committee has recused himself from the panel, citing prior commitments,” an IIT source told ANI.

The committee’s proposed composition had also faced objections from some protesting students, who demanded that the inquiry instead be headed by a former High Court judge.

Students at IIT Delhi have been protesting since Kumar’s death, seeking an independent investigation and other measures over concerns surrounding student welfare and support systems.

Suicide is not a solution: If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm