Ranchi: The Union Ministry of Education has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of first-year student Aditya Kumar at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Ranchi, as protests by students demanding accountability and better campus facilities continued for the third consecutive day on Tuesday.
The committee will be headed by Professor Rajni Abbi, Director of the South Campus of the University of Delhi. A senior psychiatrist and a senior Ministry of Education official will serve as the other members.
The panel has been directed to examine the circumstances surrounding the incident and assess whether the institute is complying with relevant guidelines on student welfare. Its review will cover basic facilities, institutional support systems, counselling and mentoring arrangements, and mechanisms for addressing student grievances.
The committee will also identify systemic shortcomings and recommend measures to improve student well-being and prevent similar incidents in the future. It will interact with stakeholders and examine relevant records and documents as necessary.
The ministry said it was also making suitable interim administrative arrangements to ensure the institute’s smooth functioning, with particular attention to students’ interests and welfare.
IIIT-Ranchi operates under the public-private partnership (PPP) model.
Meanwhile, student protests continued on Tuesday, with demonstrators reiterating their demand for the removal of institute Director Professor Rajeev Srivastava and improvements in hostel facilities and other basic amenities.
Students gathered at the hostel premises in Khelgaon Housing Society, raised slogans against the institute management and displayed banners and posters calling for the director’s removal. They warned that the agitation would be intensified if their demands were not addressed through concrete action.
The protesters alleged that the institute had been grappling with several problems for months and that repeated complaints had failed to produce satisfactory solutions.
They questioned the quality of facilities provided despite paying around Rs 4 lakh annually in tuition fees and other charges. Their concerns included canteen food, hostel security, the availability of CCTV cameras and the effectiveness of the campus surveillance system.
Students also expressed concern over emergency infrastructure, alleging deficiencies in lifts, ambulance services, electricity supply and oxygen support. They claimed that timely medical assistance might have saved Aditya’s life, though this allegation has not been independently verified.
On Monday, Board of Governors Chairman Lt Gen A.K. Bhatt (retd), Director Srivastava and members of the faculty and staff held discussions with the protesting students.
During the meeting, students presented their grievances and maintained their demand for the director’s removal. The board chairman heard their concerns and indicated that efforts would be made to reach a conclusion by Tuesday.
Aditya Kumar, a resident of Bhagalpur district in Bihar, was found unconscious and hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room on Saturday, October 10. He died while being taken to hospital.
His death has intensified scrutiny of the institute’s campus facilities, emergency response arrangements and student support systems. Students have alleged that the institute management failed to respond in time to save him.
Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the death. The findings of the ministry-appointed committee are expected to be significant in determining whether institutional shortcomings contributed to the concerns raised by students and what corrective measures may be necessary.
–IANS