Police register abetment case after IIT Delhi student's death

Delhi Police have registered a case alleging abetment to suicide against unidentified persons after the death of 31-year-old MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar at IIT Delhi on August 22.

Police said Kumar entered the campus through the main gate at about 8am, went to the Lecture Hall Complex and took a lift to the sixth floor. Kishangarh police station received a PCR call at around 8.30am. Kumar was taken to the campus hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

Police said they recovered no suicide note. Investigators have seized a phone found in Kumar’s pocket and are seeking his counselling records and other information from the institute. A crime team and forensic unit collected evidence from the campus.

Students have been protesting since Kumar’s death, seeking an independent inquiry, financial assistance for his family, the resignation of the Dean of Student Welfare, and changes to student-welfare and mental-health support systems. Saksham, a second-year student, said the protest was focused on those institutional changes.

IIT Delhi said it is supporting Kumar’s family while the police investigation continues.