Kurukshetra: The National Institute of Technology Kurukshetra has constituted a five-member committee to investigate recent student suicide cases on the campus besides forming three separate committee to look into issues faced by students. The probe panel will interact with students, professors, wardens, and other staff over the issue.
NIT’s Public Relations Officer, Prof Gian Bhushan, said on Sunday that the committee has been constituted to investigate the recent suicide cases on campus.
The panel is headed by Dean of Student Welfare Prof Lillie Dewan and includes Prof J K Kapoor, Prof Praveen Aggarwal, Dr Sandeep Singhal, and Dr Manoj Sinha.
The development comes days after a 19-year-old B.Tech student, Diksha Dubey, who hailed from Bihar, allegedly died by suicide on Thursday.
Her death sparked protests on campus. Dubey’s death marked the fourth such incident on the campus in the past two months.
After Dubey’s death allegedly by suicide, a first-year BTech student allegedly attempted to commit suicide on Friday night, police had said.
The woman student, a Maharashtra native, allegedly threatened and tried to jump off the hostel building, but was stopped by fellow hostellers.
Prof Bhushan also said that the administration has ordered all students to vacate hostels by Sunday in light of the events and keeping in mind the well-being of all students.
In view of the prevailing situation at the institute and keeping in mind the well-being of all students, it has been decided that students–UG, PG and PhD–will be on vacation until further notice. They are required to vacate their hostels by April 19, according to a notice by the NIT administration.
Out of around 5,300 students residing in hostels, more than 2,500 vacated their rooms until Saturday after the institute’s notice.
The situation has been particularly challenging for students who reside in far off states.
The revised examination schedule, including practical examinations, will be communicated in due course. Students will be informed well in advance prior to the commencement of examinations. Students are advised to stay updated through institute website for further announcements, the notice issued by the Registrar-in-charge of NIT said on Saturday.
A police investigation into Dubey’s case is also currently underway.
The institute has replaced key hostel officials, including the chief warden and deputy warden of the girls’ hostel.
Interacting with media persons on Saturday, the officiating Director of NIT, Prof Brahmjit said the institute is taking students’ issues seriously.
He said each student has now been assigned a faculty member for regular interaction. These faculty members will stay in touch with students, understand their concerns, and work towards resolving them, he said.
To further strengthen student support, the institute has also formed three separate committees.
The first committee comprises wardens who visit hostels daily and interact directly with students. The second is a mentorship committee, where one mentor is assigned to a group of 20-25 students and remains in regular contact, including through phone conversations.
The third committee includes two faculty members for each hostel, who continue to visit regularly and engage with students to understand their problems.
Prof Bhushan said the administration is looking into the requests of students for allowing them to continue to stay in the hostels.
He said though the hostel evacuation notice is causing some problems for the students, it was necessary to defuse the ‘tense’ situation created on the campus due to four suicides during last two months.
Some students alleged that notice to leave hostels has caused problems for them and disrupted their studies.
A woman student of the NIT told reporters here that “there is gap between students and faculty/management, which should be properly addressed. Merely assigning mentors is not going to solve the problem”.
Another student said, “students are traumatised at four suicides in just two months.”
A heavy police force has been deployed outside the campus gate to maintain law and order.
Workers of the Indian Youth Congress staged a candle march here on Saturday demanding justice for the families of deceased students and stronger safety measures on campus.
District president of the outfit Kuldeep Dhillon Hathira said four students had died by suicide at the institute in the past two months, raising serious concerns about student welfare.
He alleged that complaints of harassment and mental pressure by the administration have been continuously surfacing and accused authorities of failing to engage with grieving families.
“Parents send their children here with dreams, but in some cases, they are forced to take back their bodies,” he said, warning of a permanent protest at the institute if justice is not delivered soon.
On February 16, Telangana native Angod Shiva (19) was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room. The first-semester student was pursuing a degree in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) at the institute. Another student from Nuh died by suicide at NIT Kurukshetra on March 31.
The third suspected suicide was reported on April 8 when Priyanshu Sharma, a native of Haryana’s Sirsa, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in his hostel room.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: deccanchronicle.com
