The Print: New Delhi: Thursday, 8th October
2026.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked IIT Kanpur to check whether a probe into a PhD scholar’s suicide has reached a stage where his father can be given the institute’s internal inquiry report that it had earlier withheld citing the ongoing investigation.
The 24-year-old PhD
scholar, Ankit Yadav, died by suicide on February 10, 2025, while pursuing a
PhD in Chemistry at IIT Kanpur.
A purported suicide note was found in the room in which Yadav stated that he took the extreme step of his own will and blamed nobody for it.
His father, Ram Surat Yadav, had sought under the RTI Act the inquiry report prepared by the institute, along with his own recorded statement and those of nine students who had left the research laboratory of an assistant professor.
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of IIT Kanpur had denied the information under Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act, which exempts information whose disclosure would impede investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders.
The CPIO told the Commission that a criminal case had been registered in connection with the death and that the investigation was underway.
The institute had constituted an inquiry committee on February 16, 2025, which recorded statements of the appellant and nine students who had left the research lab.
The committee prepared its fact-finding report on March 18, 2025. The institute’s security officer subsequently furnished the report to the police on July 16, 2025, following a written request from the investigating officer.
The report formed part of the material collected and relied upon in the ongoing criminal investigation, the CPIO told the CIC.
The police had registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to abetment of suicide, according to the order.
The CPIO also told the Commission that he would liaise with the officer concerned to ascertain the stage of investigation and inform the appellant about the permissible information.
The CIC, in its order dated September 22, 2026, said the earlier CPIO reply “appears to be well within the ambit of the RTI Act, 2005”.
However, it directed the CPIO to “liaison the status of investigation in the matter with the concerned officer under Section 5(4) of the RTI Act” and provide the requested information “strictly as per the provisions of the RTI Act, free of cost”.
The CIC also took note of IIT Kanpur’s measures for mental health support, including trained psychologists and psychiatrists, nine dedicated professional student counsellors, a 24×7 crisis helpline and anonymous online support.
The institute said around 2,530 counselling sessions were held between January and June 2025 and 3,332 between July 2025 and January 2026.
It also has access to Hello Dost and Tele-MANAS services and has been conducting a Gatekeeper Training Programme for suicide prevention since 2021.
The Commission said it expected IIT Kanpur to ensure that such instances are not repeated in future.
(This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.)
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has asked IIT Kanpur to check whether a probe into a PhD scholar’s suicide has reached a stage where his father can be given the institute’s internal inquiry report that it had earlier withheld citing the ongoing investigation.
A purported suicide note was found in the room in which Yadav stated that he took the extreme step of his own will and blamed nobody for it.
His father, Ram Surat Yadav, had sought under the RTI Act the inquiry report prepared by the institute, along with his own recorded statement and those of nine students who had left the research laboratory of an assistant professor.
The Central Public Information Officer (CPIO) of IIT Kanpur had denied the information under Section 8(1)(h) of the RTI Act, which exempts information whose disclosure would impede investigation or apprehension or prosecution of offenders.
The CPIO told the Commission that a criminal case had been registered in connection with the death and that the investigation was underway.
The institute had constituted an inquiry committee on February 16, 2025, which recorded statements of the appellant and nine students who had left the research lab.
The committee prepared its fact-finding report on March 18, 2025. The institute’s security officer subsequently furnished the report to the police on July 16, 2025, following a written request from the investigating officer.
The report formed part of the material collected and relied upon in the ongoing criminal investigation, the CPIO told the CIC.
The police had registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, relating to abetment of suicide, according to the order.
The CPIO also told the Commission that he would liaise with the officer concerned to ascertain the stage of investigation and inform the appellant about the permissible information.
The CIC, in its order dated September 22, 2026, said the earlier CPIO reply “appears to be well within the ambit of the RTI Act, 2005”.
However, it directed the CPIO to “liaison the status of investigation in the matter with the concerned officer under Section 5(4) of the RTI Act” and provide the requested information “strictly as per the provisions of the RTI Act, free of cost”.
The CIC also took note of IIT Kanpur’s measures for mental health support, including trained psychologists and psychiatrists, nine dedicated professional student counsellors, a 24×7 crisis helpline and anonymous online support.
The institute said around 2,530 counselling sessions were held between January and June 2025 and 3,332 between July 2025 and January 2026.
It also has access to Hello Dost and Tele-MANAS services and has been conducting a Gatekeeper Training Programme for suicide prevention since 2021.
The Commission said it expected IIT Kanpur to ensure that such instances are not repeated in future.
(This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.)
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