A protest at IIT Delhi over the alleged suicide of a student has triggered a separate controversy after students claimed that a plainclothes police officer entered the campus and recorded the demonstration.
Several students said they noticed the man filming the protest on Wednesday evening. When protesters confronted him, he allegedly identified himself as a member of the Delhi Police.
The students have questioned the circumstances under which the alleged officer entered the institute and why he was recording the demonstration.
One student told The Telegraph that the footage could potentially be used against students at a later stage.
The allegation has also prompted questions about the institute's policy regarding police entry and recording on campus.
IIT director says police entry was not authorised
IIT Delhi director Rangan Banerjee said he had not authorised Delhi Police personnel to enter the campus.
Banerjee shared a recorded interview with a student initiative in which he addressed the reported incident.
He said campus security had not been authorised to record the protest and that he had been informed that someone had been filming.
According to Banerjee, the person involved was subsequently taken to campus security.
He also said that Delhi Police could not simply enter the campus without a request or call from the institute authorities.
The statement has become central to the students' questions about how the alleged officer gained access to the premises.
Police order inquiry
A police source said an inquiry had been initiated to determine who entered the IIT Delhi campus and recorded the protest.
The inquiry is expected to establish whether the person was in fact a police officer and, if so, under what circumstances the officer entered the campus.
It could also determine whether the individual had received any instruction or authorisation to record the demonstration.
The police have not publicly disclosed the identity of the person alleged by students to have been filming.
Until the inquiry is completed, the circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.
Students describe protest as peaceful
Students who spoke about the incident said the demonstration was taking place peacefully within the institute.
They argued that there was no immediate law-and-order situation that would justify the presence of police personnel inside the campus.
The students also pointed out that outsiders are generally not permitted to enter the premises without authorisation.
Their concern was therefore not limited to the alleged recording itself but also extended to the manner in which the person gained access to the campus.
Students said they had asked the alleged officer who had authorised his entry and recording but claimed that he did not provide an answer.
They described the incident as an instance of possible police interference in a campus protest.
Protest over alleged student suicide
The controversy over the alleged police presence comes against the backdrop of an ongoing student agitation at IIT Delhi.
Students have been protesting since Monday following the death of Rishikesh, a second-year MSc student who allegedly died by suicide on the campus last week.
The protesters have demanded the removal of two associate deans, citing concerns about the treatment of Rishikesh and the circumstances surrounding his academic and hostel difficulties.
One of their targets is the associate dean for student welfare.
Students have accused the official of making insensitive remarks to Rishikesh and his mother.
They have also alleged that the remarks were part of a broader pattern of insensitive treatment experienced by students.
The second demand concerns the associate dean for hostel management.
Students have questioned the decision to cancel Rishikesh's hostel accommodation after he became ill and returned to his family home in Bihar for around a month.
Students link hostel issue to student’s difficulties
According to protesting students, Rishikesh had been facing difficulties with his studies before his death.
They have alleged that his mental-health struggles became more severe after he was denied hostel accommodation.
The students believe the institute should examine whether administrative decisions and the handling of his circumstances contributed to the difficulties he experienced.
They are demanding that the institute's inquiry examine these issues rather than limiting its investigation to the immediate circumstances of his death.
The administration, however, has not accepted the students' demand for the immediate resignation of the associate dean for student welfare.
Director seeks external inquiry before resignation
In a recorded interview shared by Banerjee, the IIT Delhi director rejected the demand for the associate dean for student welfare to resign before the completion of an investigation.
Banerjee said that he, like the associate dean, was accountable for the situation and that an external committee had already been constituted to investigate the matter.
He urged students to wait for the committee's findings before seeking action against the administrator.
The position has not satisfied the protesting students, who have called for greater scrutiny of the conduct of institute officials.
They want the scope of the investigation expanded to cover allegations of insensitive behaviour by administrators and staff.
Students seek wider mandate for probe
The protesters have called for a broader mandate for the committee established by IIT Delhi.
They want the panel to examine allegations concerning the conduct of administrators and staff members, including claims of insensitive treatment made by Rishikesh's mother in her police statement.
Students said they were collecting supporting material for their allegations.
The material includes emails, text messages and testimonies from current and former students who they say have experienced or witnessed similar behaviour.
The students believe such evidence should be examined formally rather than treated as isolated complaints.
They have therefore asked the institute to expand the committee's terms of reference.
Compensation demand adds to dispute
The students have also raised the issue of financial assistance for Rishikesh's family.
They are demanding compensation of ₹1 crore from IIT Delhi.
According to the students, the administration has proposed an initial payment of ₹6 lakh from its benevolent fund.
They said the institute had also proposed raising additional money for the family through a fundraiser.
The students, however, want IIT Delhi to make a formal commitment to providing ₹1 crore.
They have also asked the institute to establish a deadline for arranging the amount rather than relying solely on voluntary contributions.
Students demand mental-health and hostel protocols
The protesters have linked their demands to broader concerns about student welfare at the institute.
They want IIT Delhi to introduce clear protocols covering mental-health support and hostel accommodation.
The students argue that institutions need transparent procedures for dealing with students who face mental-health difficulties or require extended leave because of illness.
They also want clearer rules governing hostel accommodation when students are away from campus for medical or personal reasons.
According to the protesters, such policies could prevent vulnerable students from falling through administrative gaps.
Police presence raises wider concerns
The alleged recording of the protest has added another dimension to the ongoing dispute.
Students who were already demanding accountability from the institute are now questioning whether their demonstration was being monitored by police.
Their concern is that recordings could potentially be used to identify participants or influence future proceedings against them.
The police inquiry is expected to clarify whether the individual was a serving officer and whether any official instruction existed for his presence on campus.
The outcome could determine whether the incident was an unauthorised entry or part of an officially sanctioned response.
Comes amid earlier controversy over student protests
The IIT Delhi incident has also occurred against the backdrop of a wider dispute over police handling of student demonstrations.
Five weeks earlier, Delhi Police had faced allegations of using excessive force against students protesting over alleged examination fraud.
The allegations included baton use, tear gas and pellet firing.
Those claims have generated political and public debate over the treatment of students exercising their right to protest.
The latest incident at IIT Delhi has consequently renewed questions among students about police involvement in campus demonstrations.
However, the circumstances of the IIT Delhi episode remain subject to the inquiry announced by police.
What happens next
The immediate focus is likely to remain on the inquiry into the alleged police presence and recording.
The authorities will have to establish who entered the campus, whether the person was a police officer and whether the entry was authorised.
At IIT Delhi, meanwhile, the student protest is continuing over demands concerning the handling of Rishikesh's case.
The students are seeking a broader external investigation, compensation for his family and new protocols relating to mental health and hostel accommodation.
They are also demanding action against the two associate deans.
The institute has maintained that the allegations should be examined through the external committee before disciplinary action is taken.
Campus protest remains unresolved
The alleged recording incident has added to an already tense situation at IIT Delhi.
Students want answers about how a purported police officer entered the campus and filmed their protest, while the police have ordered an inquiry into the episode.
At the same time, the central dispute over Rishikesh's death and the students' allegations against institute administrators remains unresolved.
The protesters are seeking accountability, financial support for the student's family and institutional reforms.
The administration has pointed to the ongoing external investigation and asked students to await its findings.
Until the inquiry processes are completed, the allegations concerning both the alleged police recording and the conduct of institute officials remain unresolved.
