IIT Kharagpur has decided to file an FIR over the death of a third-year student on the campus.
The institute took the decision a day after the Supreme Court sought to know if FIRs were registered after the suicides of the IIT Kharagpur student and a NEET aspirant in Kota, Rajasthan.
Amit Patra, the acting director of IIT Kharagpur, said they would soon comply with the order.
“We have heard what the Supreme Court has said. We will soon lodge an FIR over the death of the third-year student who was found dead on the campus early on May 4,” Patra, the director of IIT BHU (Varanasi) and the acting director of IIT Kharagpur, told Metro.
A bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan on Tuesday directed its registry to seek reports from IIT Kharagpur and the Rajasthan government as soon as possible.
The apex court previously ordered the formation of a national task force, headed by former top court judge Justice S Ravindra Bhat, to address the mental health concerns of students to prevent suicides in higher educational institutions.
The highest court said it was taking cognisance of the matter to ascertain whether the IIT Kharagpur management lodged an FIR following the court’s earlier directions.
Patra said: “We are already in the process of constituting a committee, tasked to look into the reasons responsible for the spate of suicides on the campus and suggest ways which could help prevent such cases. Amid this, the Supreme Court has passed this order, which will be complied with.”
As many as three students have been found dead on the campus over the past four months, raising questions about the institute’s capability to prevent such cases.
