New Delhi: A condolence meeting on Tuesday at Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University in Dwarka to mourn the death of a first-year student quickly devolved into a frenzy of protest. The acting vice chancellor escaped into his office with hundreds of students at his heels. The registrar was not so lucky. They ripped his blue check shirt apart.
Classes were cancelled as students came out in full force after a first-year business management student allegedly jumped from the seventh floor of his hostel a day after he had been expelled by the warden. Cries of “We want justice” and “Suspend the warden” echoed through the campus as angry students claimed that the young man from Patna, 25-year-old Gautam Kumar, had been wrongly targeted.
Most of the students didn’t know Kumar—the new academic year had begun barely a month ago. But his death has triggered a protest the likes of which the state-run university has never seen before. From justice for the fellow student, their list of demands has expanded to the formation of a grievance cell, a full-time doctor on campus and more representation in the student council with fewer professors. The safety of female students was also raised.
“We will continue protesting until our demands are met,” said an angry student as the registrar Kamal Pathak finally retreated into the vice chancellor’s office.
The unrest began after Kumar’s death on 15 September. The day before, he had joined a fellow student’s birthday celebration when warden Rakesh Kumar barged into the room. He accused six students of drinking alcohol and expelled them. Other hostel residents claim Kumar, who was only there to eat cake, insisted he hadn’t consumed alcohol.
News of Kumar’s encounter with the warden spread rapidly. Students were outraged that Kumar was summarily expelled without an official inquiry.
A suicide note Kumar wrote to his family has been circulating on WhatsApp: “Sorry, Mummy, Papa, Bhaiya, and Bhabhi. I am committing suicide, and the reason is my hostel warden. He trapped me in a false case and expelled me from the hostel. I am jumping from the hostel terrace.”
Now, students are demanding the suspension of the warden, as well as compensation for the family. On Tuesday afternoon, at the condolence meeting, the university administration announced that it has formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the matter.
“Gautam Kumar was my student and it’s unfortunate that he took his life like this. Following the demands of the students, we have put the warden on forced leave and have relieved him from his duties. We will take action once our inquiry is concluded,” said acting vice chancellor, AK Saini.
Past issues out in the open
The university administration’s measures have done little to appease students. It’s a case of too little too late.
“Why are they following the rulebook for the warden, and waiting for an inquiry report? [Gautam] Kumar did not get this,” said one student, while his friends nodded in agreement.
Kartikeya, a second-year law student, emphasised the lack of due process. “A review committee should have investigated the party, and allowed students to present their side. This did not happen in Kumar’s case,” he said.
Others pointed out that this would not have happened if there was a grievance cell and the student council was not tilted in favour of professors.
“Our college doesn’t have a student grievance cell, so we have no one to voice our concerns to. If there had been a doctor on campus, Kumar might have been saved,” said Aditya, a third-year law student.
Students alleged it took an hour for an ambulance to arrive. They said the on-duty doctor leaves by 4pm, and there were no medical personnel at 6 pm when Kumar jumped from the seventh floor. ThePrint has reached out to the acting vice chancellor for comment on these allegations, and the article will be updated with his response.
Female students are also speaking out about the harassment they face on campus. On the day Kumar died by suicide, wardens at the women’s hostel reportedly smelled the students’ breath to check if they had been drinking.
“When we joined the protest, wardens called our parents and informed us that they will not let us enter the hostel because we were protesting,” said a young second-year law student who did not want to be named.
From Sunday night, as students started gathering to protest, the local police were deployed around the campus. At 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a notice was posted in the university’s WhatsApp group regarding a condolence meeting organised by the professors and the administration.
The professors, registrar, and acting vice chancellor stood in line to offer flowers to a photo of Kumar adorned with marigold garlands. But this only made the students more restless. When registrar Pathak announced that the administration had taken action and asked the students to disperse the dam burst. They demanded a written confirmation, following which Pathak flashed a piece of paper and started running away. Vice chancellor Saini followed suit, and the students gave chase.
The notice Pathak waived was an official announcement: “Professor Rakesh Kumar, ex warden of Boys Shivalik Hostel is hereby ordered to proceed on leave till the submission of the report of Fact Finding Committee.” But this is not what students want.
The unexpected turnout at the condolence meeting puzzled the professors who said that they thought the meeting was meant to pacify the students.
“The duo (registrar and acting vice chancellor) have defeated the entire purpose of the condolence meeting,” said a professor. “The protest won’t fizzle out now,” she added.
The students seem to have the tacit support of many of their professors who gathered outside the administrative block to watch the protest. Another pointed out that the warden is close friends with the vice chancellor, making such an action unlikely.
“We need to stand in solidarity with the students. A life has been lost. They are traumatised. Yet, the acting vice chancellor and registrar are not listening to the professors and are disregarding all our suggestions,” said a senior professor, who requested anonymity.
The ‘Bumrah of Bihar’
Gautam Kumar was supposed to join his friends for a snack break at the hostel mess on Sunday evening. Instead, he went to his room and jumped from the floor, shouting, “Sorry, my friends.” He died instantly.
Kumar had joined the college just four weeks ago as an MBA student. Having grown up in Bihar’s Vaishali district, it was his first time leaving his hometown to pursue studies, according to his elder brother, Gaurav, who spoke with ThePrint from Bihar.
After taking a two-year break to prepare for the CAT examination, Kumar scored in the 89 percentile and gained admission to Indraprastha University.
Gaurav alleged that their father received a message from Kumar, after which they repeatedly tried calling him, but no one answered. They then asked their representative guardian in Delhi to check on him.
“That’s how we found out that he had died. Nobody informed us—not the warden, nor the school administration. We don’t even know whether he jumped from the building or if he was pushed,” Gaurav said, intermittently breaking into a loud cry.
Before Kumar joined the college, his father, Vinod, had visited the campus to ensure the hostel room met their standards. However, on Sunday, students reported that Kumar’s luggage was thrown out of his room and he was asked to leave. The family arrived on campus that day and took their son’s body home. They have since returned to perform rituals for his peace.
During the protest at the university, Kumar’s friend Aditya said he hasn’t been able to sleep for days.
“I saw his body. He was always smiling and loved life very much,” Aditya recalled.
The son of a school teacher from Raja Pakar village, Kumar was known as the “Bumrah of Bihar” for his cricketing skills. People would flock to his home just to play cricket with him. But Kumar had different aspirations—he wanted to succeed in the corporate world and was even working on improving his English.
“He would talk to me in English and say, ‘Bhaiya, soon my English will be perfect, and then no one will stop me from working at big MNCs,’” his brother remembered.
‘This is murder’
The incident has also brought past issues to light. A similar situation in 2014 led to the enforcement of strict rules on campus. A professor recalled that two students were drinking on the hostel terrace; one lost his balance and fell from the building, and witnessing this, the other student also jumped.
“Since then, strict rules have been implemented at the hostel. Alcohol and any kind of drugs are prohibited, and rooms are regularly checked for such substances,” said the professor.
After news of the suicide spread, the police at Dwarka North were informed. They visited the spot and initiated inquest proceedings.
“We didn’t receive any complaint from anyone and have simply initiated proceedings under BNSS Section 174, which is usually done in a case of suicide. He was not the only one expelled; there were six students. So, we don’t see any foul play,” said ACP Madan Lal Meena.
Back near the Central Library, there is a side-profile photo of Gautam Kumar, dressed in black pants and a coat, with his hair neatly parted on the left and a smile on his face. Three white candles are placed in front of the photo.
Cries from protesting students can be heard coming from the vice chancellor’s office.
“Yeh suicide nahi, yeh murder hai (This is not suicide, but murder),” they shout.
(Edited by Prashant)