Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Aug 29: IIT Delhi Director Rangan Banerjee has warned of disciplinary action against students accused of disrupting the peaceful functioning of the campus as protests over the alleged suicide of a 31-year-old MSc student entered their sixth consecutive day.
In an email to students on Friday, Banerjee said the protests had "escalated significantly" and spread to residential areas of the campus.
He said a group of protesters demonstrated outside faculty residences between 10.30 pm and 12.30 am on Thursday and allegedly used "unsavoury, humiliating and threatening language in their slogans".
Such behaviour, he said, compromised the safety, privacy and peace of faculty members and their families, including young children and elderly dependents.
"The Institute will take disciplinary actions against individuals disrupting the peaceful functioning of the campus including residential areas, classes, academic and other activities," Banerjee said in the email.
The protests began following the death of the 31-year-old MSc student, who allegedly died by suicide after jumping from a building on the institute's campus on August 22.
Students have been demanding an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death, action against institute officials and compensation for the student's family.
Amid the continuing protests, IIT Delhi on Thursday reconstituted the external inquiry committee formed to examine the circumstances surrounding the student's death and appointed retired Delhi High Court judge Mukta Gupta as its chairperson.
The move came a day after former Uttarakhand Director General of Police Ashok Kumar, who had initially been appointed to head the panel, recused himself from the committee citing "personal reasons".
The developments have further heightened tensions on the campus, with students continuing their agitation while the institute has warned that disciplinary action will be taken against those found disrupting academic activities, campus life or residential areas.