Ex-Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta to head panel probing IIT Delhi student's death

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi has reconstituted the external committee investigating the death of a 31-year-old MSc Physics student, with retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta appointed as its new chairperson.The decision comes as student protests over the death entered their fourth day. The earlier chairperson, former Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, recused himself from the panel citing personal reasons.The new committee will also include Pratap Sharan, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi, two student representatives and the IIT Delhi Registrar, according to an institute official.NEW PANEL, SAME QUESTIONSIIT Delhi had initially formed a five-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the student's death on August 22. The student, who was pursuing an MSc in Physics, allegedly died by suicide after falling from the Lecture Hall Complex on the institute campus.The reconstituted panel will examine the circumstances surrounding the death and is expected to look into issues raised by students following the incident. The development comes after protests on campus prompted the institute to suspend classes on Monday.WHAT HAPPENED ON AUGUST 22?According to the preliminary police enquiry, the student entered the IIT Delhi campus through the main gate at around 8 am on August 22.He later went to the Lecture Hall Complex and took a lift to the sixth floor. Police said he allegedly jumped from the front side of the building.He was taken to the institute's campus hospital, where he was declared dead.A PCR call was received at around 8.30 am at Kishangarh police station. A police team subsequently reached the campus, along with a crime team and a forensic science unit to collect evidence.POLICE PROBE ALSO UNDERWAYThe police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against an unidentified person.Investigators have seized a mobile phone found in the student's pocket and are examining it as part of the inquiry. Police are also obtaining the student's counselling records and other relevant information from IIT Delhi.The institute's external committee and the police investigation are now proceeding alongside continued student protests.For students on campus, however, the central demand remains a transparent examination of what happened and whether any institutional or individual concerns need to be addressed.The reconstituted panel is expected to provide the institute with an independent assessment of the circumstances surrounding the student's death.(With PTI inputs)- EndsPublished By: Princy ShuklaPublished On: Aug 27, 2026 10:28 IST