Suicides in Indian Institutions of Higher Education: A Deep-Rooting Crisis

Strategic Insights -

In a disturbing pattern, the Indian subcontinent has witnessed numerous suicides of students in institutions of higher education, sparking a nationwide outrage. The recent high-profile cases of a student at IIT Kharagpur, and another at Sharda University, followed by the UGC's show-cause notice to Kalinga Institute of Technology, have raised concerns about the safety and well-being of students in Indian higher education. The Supreme Court has taken note of these incidents and asked authorities to respond, while the UGC has initiated an investigation into the failures of the institute in addressing sexual harassment complaints and inadequate hostel facilities.

Key Takeaways:

  • Over the past few months, there have been at least 4 reported 'unnatural' student deaths at IIT Kharagpur, including a student found hanging from the ceiling fan in his room.
  • In May, a B.Tech student from Nepal was found dead in her hostel room at KIIT, which led to the appointment of a fact-finding committee.
  • The committee's report accused KIIT of failing to act lawfully on sexual harassment complaints, inadequate hostel facilities, and the use of brute force against students.
  • The incident at Balasore, Odisha, where a 20-year-old B.Ed student set herself on fire due to repeated complaints of sexual harassment, highlights the failure of college authorities to protect students.
  • In another incident in Mumbai, at JJ Hospital, students protested against the head of the paediatrics department, accusing her of responsible for an attempted suicide by a resident doctor.
  • The United Doctors' Front described the incident as a 'symptom of institutionalised cruelty and neglect' in a protest letter to the Maharashtra Chief Minister.
  • The recent spate of suicides reflects a deep-rooted crisis in Indian institutions of higher education, where factors such as sexual harassment, inadequate facilities, and insensitivity of faculty to student complaints are rampant.
  • The incidents suggest that the problem is not just a failure of law but a collective failure of the college administration, the institutional mechanism to deal with sexual harassment cases, the failure of the police and of society at large.
  • The real problem is that there is no simple way out; no cosmetic solution would help and would only be seen, rightly, as merely a 'damage control' exercise.

Statistics:

  • Over the past 6-7 months, there have been at least 4 reported 'unnatural' student deaths at IIT Kharagpur.
  • In the case of KIIT, two B.Tech students, one from Nepal, were found dead in their hostel rooms within a span of 2 months.
  • The fact-finding committee's report found that KIIT failed to act lawfully on sexual harassment complaints in both cases.
  • The incident at Balasore, Odisha, involved a 20-year-old B.Ed student who set herself on fire due to repeated complaints of sexual harassment.
  • The report by the fact-finding committee stated that 71 out of 100 classmates of the victim wrote a letter supporting the accused professor against her.
  • In the incident at JJ Hospital, the head of the paediatrics department was accused of extremely odd behavior towards certain students, including criticising their personal choices and instigating patients against them.

Sources:

  • The Supreme Court of India
  • The UGC (University Grants Commission)
  • Vrijendra, author of the article
  • "Student suicides: SC seeks responses from authorities

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  • "UGC issues show-cause notice to Kalinga Institute of Technology

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  • "KIIT fails to act on sexual harassment claims: Fact-finding committee

[Empty reference to the published text] (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhubaneswar/kiit-fails-to-act-on-sexual-harassment-claims-fact-finding-committee/articleshow/78066310.cms)\