IIT Delhi Names Retired Judge Mukta Gupta To Head Probe Into Student’s Death

IIT Delhi has reconstituted its external probe panel into the death of a 31-year-old MSc Physics student, appointing retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta as chairperson.

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The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has reconstituted the external probe panel investigating the circumstances surrounding the death of a student, with retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta appointed as its chairperson, officials said on Thursday.

The development came a day after former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, who had been appointed to head the panel, recused himself citing “personal reasons”, even as student protests continued on campus.

The new panel will also include Pratap Sharan, Head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS, New Delhi, along with two student representatives and the IIT Delhi registrar.

Student’s Death, Police Investigation

IIT Delhi had on Tuesday formed a five-member committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 31-year-old MSc Physics student. The student died by suicide after jumping from a building on the institute’s campus on August 22.

Following protests by students, the institute had suspended classes on Monday.

Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against unidentified persons.

According to the preliminary inquiry, the student entered the IIT Delhi campus through the main gate around 8 am on August 22 and later went to the Lecture Hall Complex, where he took a lift to the sixth floor before allegedly jumping from the front side of the building.

He was taken to the institute’s campus hospital, where he was declared brought dead. A PCR call was received around 8.30 am at Kishangarh police station, following which police reached the campus. A crime team and forensic science laboratory unit were also called to collect evidence.

Police seized a mobile phone found in the student’s pocket and are examining it. Investigators are also obtaining the student’s counselling records and other relevant information from the institute.

IIT Delhi Lists Student Support Measures

In a statement on Thursday, IIT Delhi said student well-being is a fundamental prerequisite for creating an environment where students feel heard and supported.

The institute said that since the new curriculum was implemented in 2025, first-semester credit loads have been reduced, life-skills courses introduced and first-year departmental classes capped at 30–60 students to minimise student stress.

It also said weekend examinations have been minimised and credit distribution remains flexible. From the 2024–25 academic year, the minimum CGPA requirement for the B.Tech degree was removed.

The institute further listed mentorship and faculty interaction, mental healthcare infrastructure, targeted support, grievance redressal, and diversity, inclusion and bias-sensitisation measures among its student-support initiatives.

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The new probe panel, led by retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta, has been tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the student’s death. The committee will speak to relevant students and faculty members, examine administrative offices, review existing protocols, and make recommendations.

IIT Delhi has formed an external inquiry committee, led by retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta, to investigate the circumstances of the student’s death and recommend measures to strengthen student support systems. The committee will examine administrative offices, review existing protocols, and make recommendations. The institute also plans to appoint an external ombudsperson to address student grievances.

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