Following the appalling streak of student suicides, IIT-Kharagpur has established a 10-member committee to study and tackle the mental health of its campus community. Four suicides within one year have set off an immediate spate of self-reflection and action at the institute.
The reconstituted panel is made up of a cross-section of the following experts: psychologists, counsellors, legal professionals, educationists, former police officers, and alumni. It has been asserted in an official statement that the panel will lay out its recommendations within three months' time.
Its main function is to identify the factors- academic, social, or institutional, that impact the mental well-being of students', faculty, and staff. It will assess support systems in place and propose mechanisms for strengthening them to enhance campus mental health infrastructure.
The committee will operate in close consultation with a broad base of stakeholders in order to secure representative representation and input. "We are committed to making IIT-Kharagpur a safe, supportive, and friendly place for all," a spokesman added in an interview.
This comes after a string of tragic events, including Md Asif Qamar's suicide in the recent past and Aniket Walkar's suicide in May and April respectively, who were both civil engineering students. Earlier this year, another third-year undergraduate student, Shaon Malik, had been found dead in his hostel room. Final-year biotechnology and biochemical engineering student Devika Pillai also suicided in June 2024.
Through this project, the institute is also keen to attempt sincerely hard to prevent such accidents and assist its members' mental well-being.
IIT-Kharagpur establishes committee to deal with campus suicides and mental health
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