At least 17 faculty members of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) have written to the Chairman of the Board of Governors (BoG) on Wednesday, calling for the establishment of an external panel to investigate the alleged suicide of second-year PGP student Akshith Bhukya.
Akshith, who was from Warangal in Telangana, was found dead in his hostel room on September 26. At the faculty meeting with IIMA Director Bharat Bhasker on September 29, a similar demand was made.
The Students’ Affairs Council (SAC) of the institute also wrote a letter to the director on October 12 emphasising the need to form an effective panel to look into the cause of the student’s death.
“This is not merely a procedural requirement but a moral obligation to honour Akshith’s memory, safeguard the well-being of our students, and uphold the values of integrity and excellence that define IIMA,” the letter said.
The email, sent to Chairman of the Board of Governors, Pankaj Patel, on October 17, was signed by 17 senior faculty members of IIMA and is gaining further backing from other faculty members in the Faculty Committee Members (FCM) group.
The letter urged the Chairman to establish an external committee made up of “individuals with unquestionable integrity and relevant expertise to conduct an impartial investigation into the circumstances surrounding Akshith’s death”.
“The meeting held on September 29, 2024, provided an open platform for both students and faculty to express their concerns,” the latest letter stated, referring to the previous faculty meeting that demanded an impartial panel look into the incident.
The letter further claimed, “The students, in particular, voiced their deep anguish, frustration, and disappointment with how the IIMA administration handled the conduct of TRBS. The overwhelming sentiment was that their concerns were not given the attention and care they deserved.”
Following his death, the IIMA cancelled the annual management event, The Red Bricks Summit (TRBS), which was also coordinated by Akshith Bhukya.
“We strongly believe that only an independent inquiry conducted by individuals of impeccable integrity and relevant expertise can provide a comprehensive, impartial understanding of the circumstances leading to this tragic event,” the faculty members said, referring to it as “the most critical action” that “remains unaddressed.”
Calling for an appropriate inquiry, the letter said, “Without such an inquiry, the investigation risks being incomplete, and the underlying issues that may have contributed to Akshith’s death could remain unexamined.”
The faculty members emphasised that “only a comprehensive, independent inquiry can uncover these deeper, more complex issues”.
“While we acknowledge the ongoing police investigation, it is important to recognise its inherent limitations. A police investigation is confined to determining whether criminal negligence occurred, but it cannot adequately address the broader institutional and systemic failures that may have contributed to the environment of overwhelming pressure in which Akshith found himself,” the letter stated.
“What the IIMA community urgently needs are answers that transcend the purview of criminal law: Were there institutional lapses, deviations from established norms, or failures in providing adequate support systems that exacerbated the pressures on Akshith?” the letter added.
Since the email has not yet received a response, the faculty members stated that they are still deciding on the next step. In an official email sent on October 11, the IIMA established an “Assessment, Review and Reform” (ARR) committee and its Terms of Reference (ToR).
In addition to evaluating the significant student events that include administrative and external interfaces, the ARR will also examine the impact on students’ personal and professional lives.
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