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Troubled campus:
NIT, Adityapur
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Deaths and death wish have a bizarre connect with NIT and its many fests.
At least two students — including 20-year-old electrical student Nimita Kumari — have chosen the noose over campus extravaganza, while two others have died in freak accidents on festive days.
Ironically, the elite tech cr-adle claims its plethora of extracurricular activities and motivational classes are directed to de-stress its 3,000-odd students. Nimita, who hanged herself in her hostel room on the last day of Utkarsh 2013 on Sunday, was taking Art of Living lessons.
In July last year, Jharkhand High Court — hearing a petition filed by NIT Teachers’ Association in April 2011 — had asked the Union HRD ministry to file an affidavit before February 26 on what action the institution had taken to curb suicidal tendencies in students.
NIT spokesperson Malay Neeraj said they formed a three-member counselling team in January this year and the numbers of all counsellors were on display at all 11 hostels, including two for girls.
“We also organise fests to de-stress students. Soft skill and motivational classes are also stress busters. However, it seems students are not coming to us with their problems,” he hit the nail on the head.
In five years, the more than 50-year-old cradle has seen four suicides and six fatal accidents. And Nimita is not the only one to choose the noose.
In September 2009, first-year MCA student Satyendra Singh, also a native of Hazaribagh like Nimita, hanged himself from the ceiling fan using a bedsheet at his hostel room.
In May 2010, a Bangladeshi boy — Kruto Choudhary of second-year mechanical — was found hanging in his hostel room. He allegedly took the extreme step after being rebuked by an invigilator for carrying his cellphone to the examination hall.
In March 2011, a final-year computer science student — Vineet Pant from Uttarakhand who had cleared CAT and bagged two job offers — also hanged himself at hostel.
The campus also saw freak mishaps too many. In February 2009, Vishwajit Sahu of Odisha and Rishabh Agarwal of Uttar Pradesh — both final-year students of electrical and mechanical — were electrocuted during inter-college fest Pravah. The duo, allegedly drunk, tried to bathe in the campus fountain and came in contact with live wires.
In January 2012, three final-year students, who had bagged plum placements, drowned near Asangi check dam on Kharkai, 3km from campus. Prasun Anand and Pawne Aditya Vardhan (both electronics) and Sudhir Kumar (metallurgy) did not know how to swim. While Prasun and Sudhir were from Bokaro, Pawne was from Vijayawada.
Again in April last year, first-year mechanical engineering student Uttam Kumar from Jharia died in hospital four days after sustaining head injuries. He had fallen off the terrace of a three-storey hostel during the NIT’s annual techno-management fest Ojass. It was alleged that he was under the influence of alcohol.
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