As students continue to protest after the death of an IIT Delhi student, the Cockroach Janta Party has expressed support for the demonstrations and stated that the rise of student suicides, especially in Indian Institutes of Technology across the country, raises a “clear structural problem.”
A 31-year-old, pursuing an MSc in Physics, allegedly jumped to death from the sixth floor of the institute’s Lecture Hall Complex on campus Saturday morning. The IIT-Delhi administration confirmed the incident in a statement on August 22.
The protest continued till 5pm. “We demand an independent investigation into the lapses committed by the administration that made the student take his life, address issues like non-allocation of housing facility, denial of academic projects…clear disclosure of the institute’s mental health protocol regarding students seeking counselling. Students also called for an independent probe into alleged institutional lapses and ₹ 1 crore in compensation for the deceased student’s family. We also demand the resignation of the dean and associate deans (ADSW and ADHM) in the students affairs office and the head of the department, physics, and we demand the family of the student to be compensated adequately and compassionately with ₹ 1 crore,” the demand charter submitted by the protesting students said.
Due to the hours-long campus unrest, afternoon classes for the remainder of the day were also suspended.
“But the Institute seems to have failed to provide the requisite support, including his hostel accommodation and appropriate counseling,” Ranka wrote on X , adding that the CJP stands in solidarity with the students at IIT Delhi and the family of the deceased. Students carried placards that read “IIT-D: Dreams or Death,” as they demanded the resignation of the dean and associate deans of the Students’ Welfare Office, as well as the head of the physics department. On Monday, students across the institution staged a protest from 9am.
