IIT-K report cites personal reasons for student suicides

Kanpur, Jan 19 (PTI) All reports submitted by thecommittees constituted by IIT-Kanpur to determine the reasonsthat led eight of its students to commit suicide in the lastfive years have cited "personal reasons" as the cause.

Details of what the personal reasons are have, however,not been divulged by the authorities who maintain that theyare not of the nature that can be disclosed to the media.

A Fact Finding Report into the death of BTech student incivil engineering Madhuri Sale submitted yesterday states thather suicide on November 17 last year was because of "reasonswhich were entirely personal."

Sources in the institution said that Sale was in lovewith one of her classmates and disappointment in therelationship may have led her to take the extreme step, aclaim that IIT authorities have not commented upon.

IIT officials have said that her "file has been closed"as a report has been submitted.

An RTI application by a PTI journalist revealed that inthe years from 2005 to 2010, two girl students and six boystudents had committed suicide at the institute.

In the five years, five students committed suicide intheir hostel rooms by hanging from ceiling fans, one jumpedfrom the roof of the faculty building in the campus, anotherjumped in front of a moving train and a third consumed poison.

The reports investigating the causes for all eightsuicides have cited personal reasons.

The Fact Finding Committees constituted have also madesuggestions to help prevent students from committing suicides,some of which are already in place at the institution.

Recommendations made by the report on Sale''s suicideinclude more interaction among students to share theirproblems, strengthening of the counselling cell, appointmentof counsellors in hostels and separate women counsellor forgirl students and a counsellor for boy students as well.

"Most of the steps suggested by the Fact FindingCommittees to stop the tendency of suicide among students arealready present in the institution," IIT-K Registrar SanjeevKashalkar told PTI, adding that the institution has separatecounsellors for boy and girl students.

However, the committee''s suggestion for more interactionamong the students is different and will be looked into, hesaid.

The Fact Finding Committees set up after student suicidesin the institution have been headed by senior professors whosent the report to administration officials after whichefforts are made to stop such incidences from recurring. PTIZIR AVT