IIIT Ranchi student death: Education Ministry forms 3-member panel, students seek director’s resignation

The Ministry of Education has constituted a three-member committee to examine the circumstances surrounding the death of a student at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT), Ranchi. The committee will be headed by Prof Rajni Abbi, director of the South Campus, University of Delhi. A senior psychiatrist and a senior officer from the Ministry of Education are the other two members. The committee will assess issues related to student welfare, institutional support and basic facilities.

The ministry has taken cognisance of the student's death at the IIIT Ranchi campus. The committee will examine circumstances surrounding the incident along with assessing the implementation of guidelines. Other than this, the panel will also examine availability and functioning of basic facilities, institutional support systems, counselling and mentoring arrangements, and student grievance redressal mechanisms. After identifying systemic gaps, the 3-member panel will recommend appropriate measures to help prevent recurrence of such incidents.

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IIIT Ranchi student death: Protests enter third day

Students at IIIT Ranchi are protesting for the third consecutive day over the death of first-year BTech student Aditya Singh and alleged lapses in emergency medical treatment.

More than 1,000 students have joined the sit-in and are demanding the resignation of institute director Rajiv Srivastava. They are seeking answers regarding hostel facilities, emergency medical arrangements and administrative accountability.

Key demands are a robust, round-the-clock emergency medical system in the hostel premises, along with the permanent deployment of a campus doctor and an ambulance.

A case of unnatural death was registered, and an investigation was initiated to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident. Soon after the student’s death, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) took cognisance of the matter.

The protests have also affected examinations at the institute. In a latest update, Ministry of Education's committee will examine the circumstances surrounding the student's death, assess institutional support systems and identify any systemic gaps.