New Delhi: The student body of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) has demanded the constitution of a high-powered independent committee to investigate the circumstances surrounding the death of a 24-year-old student last month, ThePrint has learnt.
Akshith Bhukya, a final-year MBA student, died allegedly by suicide in his hostel room on 26 September. A resident of Telangana, he was leading the coordination committee for The Red Brick Summit (TRBS), the institute’s annual management symposium. His body was found the evening before the event, leading to its cancellation. His family had accused the administration of harassment related to the event.
In an email to institute director Bharat Bhasker, accessed by ThePrint, the IIM-A Students’ Affairs Council said it is “deeply troubled” by the circumstances surrounding the incident and the institution’s response to it.
“As you are aware, Akshith served as the coordinator of TRBS, and preliminary evidence indicates that he was under considerable pressure due to the uncooperative stance adopted by the IIM-A administration in the conduct of TRBS. It is feared that this stress may have played a contributory role in his decision to take his own life,” the council said in their email.
The email, signed by the general secretary of the council Atman Soni, demanded a constitution of a high-powered independent committee to probe the circumstances surrounding Bhukya’s death.
ThePrint reached the IIM-A director’s office and communication officer via calls, texts and emails. This report will be updated and if and when responses are received.
Soni refused to comment on the matter.
According to media reports, the parents, in their police complaint, had alleged that someone from the institute was intimidating their son over the use of the institute’s logo by a private institute for an event.
While the Gujarat Police had said that a dispute over the old and new logo of IIM-A for the promotion of TRBS led to friction between some senior officials at the institute and Bhukya, they said they had not found any evidence of abetment to suicide. Police believe stress may have been the likely cause of the suicide.
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Concerns over police investigation
The Students’ Affairs Council also voiced “grave concerns” over the way the ongoing police investigation was being handled and the alleged “lack of seriousness” with which the administration had approached the matter.
“This is evidenced by the following facts: On October 04, 2024, when the police came to record statements of students, the scope of their inquiry was limited to the IMS logo and Communication Team, based solely on the complaint filed by Akshith’s father, who may not have been fully aware of the broader context,” the council further said in the email.
It further alleged that students were denied the opportunity by the police to amend their previous statements to include crucial information about their conversations with the director and adviser (administration), Brig. Dinesh Sharma (retd.), about letting external audiences attend the TRBS the night before the incident.
“The police claimed that recording such statements could cause a ‘rift’ between faculty and students, potentially altering the direction of the investigation and necessitating the registration of an offence. They claimed to require the approval of the DCP (deputy commissioner of police) to record such statements,” the student body said, without giving details of the conversations.
It also alleged that the legal counsel appointed by the institute to assist students subtly “discouraged” them from providing these additional statements, suggesting that they could be subject to extensive questioning in court if the matter escalated to a criminal trial.
On Friday, Bhukya’s father also expressed dissatisfaction over the ongoing investigation while speaking to the media and alleged that he has not received any assistance from the institute.
Despite repeated attempts, Vastrapur police station Inspector LL Chavda did not respond to calls or texts asking for a comment.
Questions over denial of permission to external audiences
The student body also questioned why external audiences were denied entry to the event as a result of the IIM-A administration allowing the chief minister of Gujarat to host a non-IIMA event at the JSW School of Public Policy that overlapped with the TRBS event.
The Chintan Shibir, a brainstorming session for officers and employees of the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), was organised on 28 September. This put Bhukya under considerable pressure, it alleged.
“This external event, which overlapped with the annual TRBS event, led to restrictions on TRBS audience participation. Furthermore, given the nature of the Chintan Shibir as a non-IIMA event, we seek clarification on the rationale behind prioritising it over a long-standing internal annual student event,” the students’ body said in the email.
“The denial of permission for external participants, due to the overlap with the Chintan Shibir, created immense pressure on Akshith, contributing to the stress he faced in the days leading up to his tragic death,” it claimed.
Denying any permission to external audiences requires a detailed explanation, it added, “particularly in light of the administrative conflicts created by overlapping events”.
If you are feeling suicidal or depressed, please call a helpline number in your state.
(Edited by Sanya Mathur)
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