Surabhi Verma, a researcher pursuing her PhD at IIT Delhi, died in November in an accident during an excavation project at the ancient Harappan site of Lothal, India. Surabhi and Yama Dixit, her supervisor, entered a freshly dug 10-foot-deep pit to collect soil samples for a paleoclimatic study investigating historical climatic events' impacts on the Indus Valley civilization. The pit walls collapsed, burying Verma under the soil, while Dixit escaped with a head injury.
Last week, Indian police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against IIT Delhi's Dixit following a complaint from Ram Khelawan Verma, the father of the deceased scholar. The complaint resulted in charges for causing death by negligence and endangering life or personal safety, as reported by The Indian Express.
"The Koth police station in Ahmedabad rural police registered the FIR based on the facts that neither any permission was sought from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) nor were any safety equipment used during the research expedition,” said Sub-inspector P.N. Gohil, according to Telegraph India.
The decision to excavate in an area categorized as a regulated zone under ASI norms, along with using a Hitachi excavator typically employed for road construction, came under scrutiny. "Surabhi was engaged in dangerous work without being provided any safety equipment," detailed Ram Khelawan Verma's allegations in the FIR, according to The Indian Express.
The investigation is ongoing, with the police seeking insights from forensic experts and asking for statements from involved institutions like IIT Delhi and IIT Gandhinagar. Despite months of pressing for action from her father, official inquiries continue to reveal new facets of the incident.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.