A group of "concerned" students from IIT Delhi on July 13 brought out a statement titled "The Institutional Murder of Ayush Ashna" against the Dalit student's death at the institute campus by suicide on July 9. Alleging a lack of inclusivity, several students have labelled his death "institutional murder".
"It is high time that we declare a crisis in the IITs that are becoming graveyards with student suicides every other month. We must refuse to let these institutes run normally until there is a complete revamping of the institutional machinery of grades, CGPA and placements that is devaluing and crushing the lives of students," the students' statement reads.
"Today it is most urgent to sensitize, mentor and counsel faculties and Deans who through their grading and regressive mindsets place students in hierarchies, routinely fail them and devalue their lives based on their academic performance," it adds, further alleging that the elitist institutes were in the habit of adopting the "keep performing" attitude, in which if you burn out and can't cope, you are asked to get some counseling and again start performing.
Mentioning their demands to improve the situation, the students have urged the IIT to constitute a committee along with its SC/ST Cell and probe Ashna's death. The committee must also come up with recommendations on the basis of its enquiry.
Additionally, the students want the institute to admit the failure of the faculty from the failure of students. "BTech students across departments must be called for meetings to evaluate the pressures they face daily and structural changes must be made to exam schedules, grading processes and placements accordingly," they ask.
Finally, the students ask the Director to reveal what steps were taken after their last meeting with him. They also demand that the representation of students and faculty from marginalised communities be increased.
