Most students who end their lives at IIT Kharagpur are unable to handle academic failures, the man at the helm of the institute said on Tuesday.
Some others take the extreme step because of personal issues, said Amit Patra, acting director of IIT Kharagpur.
A fourth-year BTech student from Maharashtra, Aniket Walkar, was found hanging in his hostel room at IIT Kharagpur on Sunday.
This was the third student death on the campus in 10 months, triggering renewed concerns about their fragile mental health and the institute’s apparent lack of concern.
“There are three main reasons (for students to take their lives). One, some of them cannot handle the academic pressure. Two, they are good in studies but cannot accept even a minor drop in their academic performance. The third lot seems to be weighed down by non-academic, personal issues. I can’t comment on specific cases, but this is what we have noticed,” he told The Telegraph.
Patra denied allegations that the institute was not doing enough to provide mental health support to students.
“We are constantly strengthening the counselling system. Each hostel has a students’ welfare association headed by the assistant warden. This system had identified Walkar as a student who needed help,” he said.
“Just a few weeks ago, he was sent home. He came back after treatment with a ‘fit’ certificate. Our counsellors interacted with him. He resumed classes only after clearance,” said Patra.
“We have more plans. Teachers are being told to treat students sympathetically so they do not feel alienated. We are developing life skills so students know how to cope with small failures. If any student is going to a counsellor in the institute, the dean of students is intimated so they can keep a watch,” he said.
Walkar was very good in studies and had consistent CGPA (cumulative grade point average) scores of nine-plus (above 90 per cent), said sources in the institute.
A day before he was found hanging, Walkar attended a farewell party, they said.
A preliminary probe suggested that Walkar died by suicide, police said on Monday.
A case of unnatural death has been registered with Kharagpur Town police station. The post-mortem report was awaited.
Calls and a message to the superintendent of West Midnapore, Dhritiman Sarkar, went unanswered on Tuesday.