New Delhi: IIT Kharagpur is taking an unusual but decisive step, facing a disturbed spike in students suicides, making the roof fan in hostels unusable for self-loss by reducing the fan of the roof. This initiative is part of a large mental health push for the purpose of protecting students from the moments of impulse crisis.“This is not a solution to mental health, but in a moment of crisis, the absence of a tool may mean the presence of life,” the institute’s director Suman Chakraborty said, talking to PTI.A complex on the shoreElite Institute has seen four students suicides alone in 2024, the latest 21 -year -old Ritam Mondal, a fourth year mechanical engineering student, was found dead in his hostel room on 18 July, which was only a few days after returning from the holiday.In response, IIT Kharagpur formed a 10-member fact-Khoj Samiti and started a sleep of initiative:
- ‘Campus Mother’s’: Women faculty and employees work emotionally.
- 24×7
Mental health aid With permanent psychiatrists in the campus. - Monthly parents check-in flag warning signals early.
- Barcoded helpline at the door of every hostel room for immediate access to counseling.
Phased fan replacementThe plan to replace the roof fans in all 21 hostels, will roll out at home, stages for around 16,000 students. “We can’t give a time outlines yet, but the decision has been made,” Chakravarti said.By reducing access to the means of suicide by strengthening emotional scaffolding, IIT Kharagpur is trying to change the script on the campus tragedies, from silence and stigma to support and existence.
