NEW DELHI: Cockroach Janata Party founder Dipke has called for a “complete overhaul” of the country’s education system following the death of 31-year-old IIT Delhi MSc Physics student Rishikesh Kumar. Dipke said that students need an environment where they feel “supported, heard and hopeful about their future”.In a post on X, Dipke wrote: “IITs, considered among the best educational institutions in our country, have witnessed 65 student suicides in the last five years. If this is the situation at our best institutions, imagine the state of the rest. We need a complete overhaul of our education system, one that creates an environment where students feel supported, heard and hopeful about their future, rather than leaving them isolated, overwhelmed and struggling in silence.”Rishikesh died on August 22 after falling from the sixth floor of the Lecture Hall Complex. Police have said no suicide note was recovered and the circumstances surrounding his death are being investigated.Dipke’s remarks came as IIT Delhi moved to constitute a final external inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding Rishikesh’s death.The committee will be headed by retired Delhi high court judge Justice Mukta Gupta and will include Professor Pratap Sharan, head of the Department of Psychiatry at AIIMS New Delhi, four student representatives and IIT Delhi Registrar, who will serve as secretary and convenor, sources told ANI.The panel will interact with students, faculty members and administrative officials, review existing protocols and processes, and recommend measures to strengthen student support systems. It has been asked to submit its report within two weeks.
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The committee was reconstituted after former Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar, who had initially been proposed as chairperson, recused himself citing prior commitments. Students had earlier demanded that the inquiry be headed by a former High Court judge.The earlier committee was announced by IIT Delhi Director Professor Rangan Banerjee after protests over Rishikesh’s death. Students had demanded an independent probe, the resignation of the Dean of Student Welfare and financial assistance for his family.Rishikesh joined IIT Delhi in July 2025 and was staying in a campus hostel. The institute said he had received counselling and medical treatment after concerns were raised by fellow students following Holi celebrations. His requests to withdraw from the second and third semesters were also approved.
