New Delhi: CPI(M) Rajya Sabha leader John Brittas has written to Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan seeking urgent intervention on the issue of student suicides at the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Kurukshetra. Four BTech students allegedly died by suicide at NIT Kurukshetra this year between February 16 and April 16, while a 19-year-old student attempted to take their own life on Friday night.
Brittas has called for the formation of a panel to probe the circumstances behind the incidents and review the response system of the institute. He has also alleged that the NIT Kurukshetra's response to these incidents has raised serious apprehensions among students regarding transparency, sensitivity, and adherence to proper emergency protocols.
The NIT administration has transferred two professors and asked around 5,500 students to vacate their hostels. Brittas has urged Pradhan and NIT administration to consider immediate interim measures to ensure that academic schedules and examinations are conducted in a manner that does not exacerbate the prevailing psychological distress among students.
The Union education ministry officials did not respond to HT's request for a comment. The NIT Kurukshetra has formed a five-member committee to investigate recent student suicide cases, besides three separate committees to look into issues faced by students on campus.
