Alok Kumar Pandey, a PhD student in the Material Sciences programme at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur (IIT-K) died yesterday, August 8, alleged due to medical negligence. This incident has shocked the student community of IIT-K. Students held a protest in the campus today demanding a probe into the incident. A meeting between student representatives and IIT-K administration is going on at the time of filing this report. Students have also launched a protest on various social media with #JusticeForAlok. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATCeKU6AwBM
Alok was working in his laboratory went he complained of pain in his shoulder at around 1.30 pm. Alok, accompanied by a friend, went to the Health Centre (HC) in the campus. At the HC, Alok was administered a pain killer injection without any tests. However, soon after he complained of chest pain. As his condition was deteriorating, Alok was referred to a city hospital, but the doctors declared him dead on arrival.
This is the second death reported in IIT-K after Aftab Alam, principal computer engineer died in October 2015 allegedly due to medical negligence of doctors present at the HC.