5-member committee to probe PhD scholar’s death at IIT Madras

The five-member inquiry committee will be headed by former Tamil Nadu Director General of Police G Thilakavathi. 

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has constituted a five-member inquiry committee to probe the death of a PhD scholar Sachin Kumar Jain. It will be headed by former Tamil Nadu Director General of Police (DGP), G Thilakavathi. 

An email from the registrar to the students read, “With the approval of the competent authority, an inquiry committee has been constituted to inquire into the suicide of a PhD scholar of the mechanical engineering department on March 31. The committee headed by G Thilakavathi also has former IAS officers D Sabitha, Kannegi Packianathan and professor Ravindra Gettu (faculty) and Amal Manoharan (research scholar) as members.” 

“The students who would like to depose before the committee can contact the member (research scholar), and faculty can contact the member (faculty). The committee will submit  its confidential report to the director of IIT Madras,” the registrar said in the mail. 

Sachin Kumar Jain, a resident of West Bengal, was a PhD research scholar at the Mechanical Engineering Department, IIT Madras. He had put a WhatsApp status before taking the extreme step. The message read, "I am Sorry, not good enough". The brother of the deceased, Bhavesh Jain, has accused his (Sachin’s) PhD guide, Ashish Kumar, for the suicide of his brother.   

Sachin's brother has alleged that his guide knew that Sachin was having mental health issues. He further alleged that despite knowing about his mental health, the guide was harassing him with disciplinary action, blocking his access to the lab and burdening him with extra work, which worsened his condition. He (Sachin) informed his family that his degree will be delayed as the guide was making him do more work.  

Read more: 

• IIT Madras scholar’s death: PhD guide barred from using lab  
• IIT Madras scholar’s death: IIT Bombay students seek resignation of his guide