The education ministry is setting up a panel to probe the death of a student at IIIT Ranchi

Students protest outside a hostel after a first-year Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) student was found dead at the ranch on October 11, 2026. Photo credit: PTI

A first-year student at the Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) campus in Ranchi, Jharkhand, was found dead in his hostel room late on October 10. According to the police, he was a student from Bhagalpur in Bihar.

The Ministry of Education said in an official statement that it had set up a three-member commission to investigate the circumstances of the student’s death. The committee will be headed by prof. Rajni Abbi, Director, South Campus, University of Delhi and its members will be a senior psychiatrist and an officer from MoE.

IIIT Ranchi is a public-private partnership institute based on the PPP model, MoE said.

“The committee was mandated to investigate the circumstances of the incident and assess the implementation of the guidelines, particularly with regard to the availability and functioning of basic facilities, institutional support systems, counseling and mentoring arrangements and mechanisms for dealing with student complaints,” the MoE said in a statement.

“It will identify any systemic loopholes and recommend appropriate measures to enhance student welfare and help prevent recurrence of such incidents. The committee will interact with stakeholders and examine relevant records and documents as necessary,” the statement added.

“The Ministry is implementing temporary administrative measures to ensure the smooth functioning of the institute with regard to the interests of the students,” added the Ministry of Education.

The incident came to light around 11.30pm on October 10 after the student’s friends – worried that he was not opening the door of his hostel room – broke open and found him unresponsive. They quickly took him to a private hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead.

Chaotic scenes

As news of the death spread across campus, chaotic scenes were witnessed as distraught students demonstrated. The police were subsequently deployed to check.

The cause of death has not yet been determined. Police are likely to question other students living in the hostel to get more information about the incident.

The students claimed that the director of the institute was responsible for the mismanagement of the hostel and demanded his removal. The protesting students blocked the Khelgaon-Tatisilwai road, causing traffic snarls on both sides.

The students alleged that the institute lacked basic facilities and accused the management of not taking their problems seriously. They also raised questions about the availability of emergency medical facilities such as ambulances and oxygen.

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Published – 13 Oct 2026 15:37 IST