5-member external panel records statements

Following the ruckus over the death of a research scholar on IIT-Kanpur campus recently, a five-member external review committee arrived at the institute on Friday to probe the issue.

Headed by former director of IIT-Kharagpur Dr KL Chopra, the committee started recording statements of students and other members of the institute soon after its arrival.

Other members of the committee included alumni of IIT-K nad an IFS Sudhir Vyas, former dean of IIT-K Dr AK Malik and Dr SP Mehrotra and the convener of Institute Advisory Committee (IAC) Dr Satyki Ray.

The committee was appointed by the director of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT-K) Professor Indranil Manna and was constituted on the advice of the Institute Advisory Committee (IAC) with two objectives.

Firstly it was asked to make a complete report of the acts of the students, which were illegal as per the rules of the institute and to suggest measures to avoid recurrence of such incidents in

REGISTRAR OF IIT-K DR SUDHIR MISRA SAID THAT THE COMMITTEE WAS EXPECTED TO SUBMIT ITS REPORT WITHIN ONE MONTH

future.

According to IIT-K sources over three dozen students, teachers and other employees who had knowledge of the ruckus created on the campus, over the death of a research scholar Alok Kumar Pandey on August 8, provided information to the committee members online by 5.30 pm, the deadline fixed by the IIT-Kanpur.

The committee members would also watch videos taken of the ruckus on mobile phones, CCTVs and the video recording footage.

Meanwhile, the students at the institute seemed ‘perturbed’ throughout the day and were found discussing about the possible disciplinary action against them. Meanwhile, registrar of IIT-K Dr Sudhir Misra said that the committee was expected to submit its report within one month.