CBI Begins Probe into Fathima Latheef Suicide Case, to Question IIT Madras Officals and Family - News18

CBI Begins Probe into Fathima Latheef Suicide Case, to Question IIT Madras Officals and Family

The deceased student, hailing from Kollam in Kerala, was pursuing her first year under graduation in the humanities stream (five year integrated MA programme). She reportedly committed suicide on November 9 by hanging from a ceiling fan.

Poornima Murali | CNN-News18

Updated:December 30, 2019, 1:42 PM IST

                      File Photo of CBI logo.

Chennai: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) started its investigation into the death of Fathima Latheef, a student of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras, who committed suicide last month, after her father complained about the investigators' failure to communicate with the family.

The case came to limelight after her parents sought a thorough investigation and blamed faculty members at the campus for her death. 

Latheef’s family, along with her friends and IIT-M officials, will be investigated by CBI sleuths as part of investigation.

The deceased student, hailing from Kollam in Kerala, was pursuing her first year under graduation in the humanities stream (five year integrated MA programme). She reportedly committed suicide on November 9 by hanging from a ceiling fan.

Her family had found Fathima's suicide notes on her mobile phone, in which she blamed a faculty member of her institute for her death.

However, a probe by a special team had disclosed its report to the Tamil Nadu Home Department in which it notified that there was no evidence against the professors for inciting the student to commit suicide.

Originally the case was registered by the Kotturpuram police of Chennai and later transferred to the CCB. The investigation was transferred to CBI when Abdul Latheef and Sajitha, with a delegation of Kerala MPs, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on December 5 and sought justice for their daughter.

The suicide note left behind by Latheef also sparked an intense debate over whether IIT-Madras needs to take more measures to ensure students are not subjected to performance pressures, or those of other kinds.

Security guard at IIT-Kanpur commits suicide - Outlook India

Security guard at IIT-Kanpur commits suicide

Kanpur, Dec 30 (IANS) A security guard at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)-Kanpur has allegedly committed suicide in the campus premised.

According to reports, the victim identified as Alok Srivastava (45) killed himself by hanging.

The victim belonged to Jharkhand and resided on the campus with his wife and two children.

When he was not seen for several hours on Sunday, his wife Meena went to look for him and found him hanging in his room.

The victim was rushed to the Lala Lajpat Rai and was declared dead on arrival.

No suicide note was recovered from the spot.

Circle Officer Kalyanpur, Ajay Kumar, said: "The reason behind the suicide has not yet been ascertained. His wife has expressed ignorance about her husband being depressed. Police are investigating the case with the help of forensic experts and some persons are also being interrogated."

--IANS

amita/ksk/
Disclaimer :- This story has not been edited by Outlook staff and is auto-generated from news agency feeds. Source: IANS

Students’ panel set up after Rohith Vemula’s death plan another protest - Yahoo News

Students’ panel set up after Rohith Vemula’s death plan another protest

Abha Goradia
The Indian Express

28 December 2019



Rohith Vemula, Rohith Vemula death, Rohith Vemula suicide, Rohith Vemula death protest, mumbai protests, mumbai city newsMore

Rohith Vemula committed suicide in Hyderabad.
THE JOINT Action Committee for Social Justice, which Friday organised the ‘Inquilab Morcha’ at Azad Maidan was formed after the death of student leader Rohith Vemula. Ever since, the committee has come together for demonstrations, including after the suicides of postgraduate medical student Payal Tadvi and IIT-Madras student Fatima Latheef.

“We are from various educational institutions, including IIT-Bombay, TISS, MU and Samata Kala Manch, who met during demonstrations held for Rohith Vemula. We don’t have any office but meet frequently. We divided ourselves into teams for today’s protest,” said one of the organisers, adding that planning for another protest is underway.

While students of IIT-Bombay performed a play at the protest, students of TISS addressed the protestors. Faculties from a few educational institutions also participated in the protest.

Others included Hammadurr Ahman, a final-year history student from Jamia Millia Islamia, who was part of the peaceful protest at Jamia that had ended with police entering the campus and beating up students on December 15.

Recalling the incident, Ahman said, “I was in Jamia leading the protest outside the gate, and was trying to save the students. I was also hit by lathis. We were demonstrating outside Jamia and were doing it very peacefully. But the police did not allow us. Apart from entering the campus without permission, the police hurled abuses at students. The women hostels were raided by the police...”

“Now, there is anger and fear among students, said Ahman. “The administration is Jamia is supporting the government. They are under a lot of pressure. Our vice-chancellor has been contradicting her statements. She said that police entered the campus without permission, and also that what police did was perhaps right. We will be fighting for her resignation.”

“The hostels have been vacated. Jamia has cancelled two examinations. Only 100 students are left on the campus. Those who have gone home will be back and join the movement. The administration has been trying to intimidate and target Leftist students. Parents are being asked to call back their wards,” Ahman said.

Meanwhile, a Mumbai-based theatre artiste and native of Nagina town in Uttar Pradesh, Waris Ahmed Zaidi, has been told by his parents not to return home despite having a ticket for December 30.

“My parents have confined themselves to our home since a week, even though our house is near the police station in a Muslim mohalla. My brother is studying BTech in Jamia. He had gone home but they are asking me to avoid coming. Many people from my locality have been beaten up and detained,” he said.

Researchers Identify Key Networks In Brain That Play Role In Suicide

Saturday December 28, 2019 

Researchers Identify Key Networks In Brain That Play Role In Suicide 

Brain networks that play key role in suicide risk identified 

By NewsGram Desk 

December 2, 20190

Scientists have identified the brain networks that play a role in suicide. Lifetime Stock Researchers have identified key networks within the brain which they say interact to increase the risk that an individual will think about – or attempt – suicide. Combining the results from all of the brain imaging studies available, the researchers looked for evidence of structural, functional and molecular alterations in the brain that could increase the risk of suicide. 

They identified two brain networks – and the connections between them – that appear to play an important role. 

The first of these networks involves areas towards the front of the brain known as the medial and lateral ventral prefrontal cortex and their connections to other brain regions involved in emotion. Alterations in this network may lead to excessive negative thoughts and difficulties regulating emotions, stimulating thoughts of suicide, according to the study published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. 

The second network involves regions known as the dorsal prefrontal cortex and inferior frontal gyrus system. The researchers looked for evidence of structural, functional and molecular alterations in the brain that could increase the risk of suicide. 

Lifetime Stock Alterations in this network may influence a suicide attempt, in part, due to its role in decision making, generating alternative solutions to problems and controlling behaviour, said the study. 

The researchers suggest that if both networks are altered in terms of their structure, function or biochemistry, this might lead to situations where an individual thinks negatively about the future and is unable to control their thoughts, which might lead to situations where an individual is at higher risk of suicide. “There are very vulnerable groups who are clearly not being served by research for a number of reasons, including the need to prioritise treatment, and reduce stigma,” said Anne-Laura van Harmelen, co-first author from the University of Cambridge. 

“We urgently need to study these groups and find ways to help and support them,” van Harmelen said. For the study, the international team of researchers carried out a review of two decades’ worth of scientific literature relating to brain imaging studies of suicidal thoughts and behaviour. In total, they looked at 131 studies, which covered more than 12,000 individuals, looking at alterations in brain structure and function that might increase an individual’s suicide risk. Alterations in the brain network may influence a suicide attempt. 

 The researchers said that their review of existing literature revealed how little research has been done into one of the world’s major killers, particularly among the most vulnerable groups. The facts in relation to suicide are stark: 800,000 people commit suicide every year, the equivalent of one every 40 seconds. 

Suicide is the second leading cause of death globally among 15-29 year olds. More adolescents commit suicide than dying from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined. As many as one in three adolescents think about ending their lives and one in three of these will attempt suicide. 

“Imagine having a disease that we knew killed almost a million people a year, a quarter of them before the age of thirty, and yet we knew nothing about why some individuals are more vulnerable to this disease,” van Harmelen said. 

Also Read- Long-Term Treatment with Opioids may Increase PTSD Risk: Study 

“This is where we are with suicide. We know very little about what’s happening in the brain, why there are sex differences, and what makes young people especially vulnerable to suicide.” 

(IANS) . Read more at: https://www.newsgram.com/identify-key-networks-brain-role-suicide

Mumbai: IIT-B student Missing since November 22, searched for city bridges online before he left campus - Indian Express

Mumbai: IIT-B student Missing since November 22, searched for city bridges online before he left campus

A resident of Jaipur, Harsh left the campus on the evening of November 22 without his mobile phone or belongings. Ever since, his father Dinesh Sharma has spent all his days looking for his son, hopeful of finding even a single clue.

Written by Abha Goradia 

| Mumbai | Updated: December 24, 2019 3:42:25 am
The police had just one clue: before leaving, Harsh had Googled ‘Bridges of Mumbai’. (Representational Image)

A MONTH ago, 20-year-old Harsh Sharma left the IIT-Bombay campus without informing anyone, raising several questions among his family members, friends and the institute authorities.

A resident of Jaipur, Harsh left the campus on the evening of November 22 without his mobile phone or belongings. Ever since, his father Dinesh Sharma has spent all his days looking for his son, hopeful of finding even

 a single clue.

 

Harsh Sharma.

“It’s like trying to find a needle in the desert. We have looked for him everywhere — gurdwara, railway tracks, temples, cemeteries, hospitals, shelter homes — but have failed. Someone says go here, someone says go there. We have been everywhere, it’s been directionless. But we don’t want to give up,” he said.

The police had just one clue: before leaving, Harsh had Googled ‘Bridges of Mumbai’. His father, police and IIT-B security personnel have, in the past month, searched all the bridges in Mumbai, scanned CCTV footage around them and spoken to people there, but in vain.

While Harsh was at IIT-B, Dinesh and the rest of the family had spent the past three years juggling between the campus and Jaipur, where they own pharmacy stores.

Harsh started his B Tech at the electrical engineering department in July 2017. His AIR was 448. However, a few months on in November, it came to light that he wasn’t coping well. So, the family was allotted a residential accommodation on the campus by the Dean of Student Affairs.

One member of the family — Dinesh, his wife or Harsh’s elder brother — had always been present on the campus.

“He had failed the computer science exam, from where things took a downturn. He was under treatment the entire time and was taking medication. His thought process became negative and we tried a lot to motivate him. He would be fine for two to three days but his anxiety and stress would return,” Dinesh said.

In December 2018, Harsh had, for the first time, gone missing but was found the following day at 3 am. He then attempted suicide by bringing a rope to his room but was saved by his roommate.

“Doctors in Jaipur too had advised us to keep Harsh at home. They were reluctant to give him a fitness certificate. But Harsh wouldn’t agree. Even if he hadn’t passed out from IIT, we would have been just as proud,” Dinesh said, adding that he had also tried motivating his son through Dale Carnegie and Arindam Chaudhari’s self-help books.

Despite their efforts, Harsh had expressed his suicidal thoughts to his father a number of times. The Student Welfare Centre at IIT-B had pointed out “reactive depression” in Harsh, his father said. “We would tell him to not take any extreme step as long as we are alive. Children are our biggest asset.”

Madhuri Zengde of Powai police station, the investigating officer in the case, told The Indian Express, “We have exhausted most of our ideas. We have tried to check CCTV footage at several places, have looked for bodies and sent wireless message to all police stations. We can’t confirm if he’s out of the city, since we have found no clues,” she said, adding that the matter might now be escalated to a national level search.

For all the latest Mumbai News, download Indian Express App

TAGS:
Bombay IIT

Disappointed with CBI probe, says father of Fathima Latheef who committed suicide in IIT Madras - Manorama On Line

Disappointed with CBI probe, says father of Fathima Latheef who committed suicide in IIT Madras 

Read more at: https://english.manoramaonline.com/news/kerala/2019/12/23/caa-cbi-fathima-latheef-iit-madras-kerala.html

"Highly Disappointed" With CBI Probe: - NDTV

"Highly Disappointed" With CBI Probe: Father Of IIT Madras Student

The father had alleged in Chennai immediately after his daughter's death that he had evidence to prove that his adughter was being harassed by some professors in the department of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Tamil NaduPress Trust of India

Updated: December 24, 2019 01:51 IST




The girl reportedly committed suicide on November 9 by hanging from a ceiling fan.

New Delhi:

The father of IIT Madras student Fathima Latheef, who committed suicide last month, on Monday said he is "highly disappointed" with the CBI probe into his 19-year old daughter's death and the investigators' failure to communicate with the family.

"Though the case has been transferred to the CBI from the Chennai Crime Branch (CCB), no one has contacted us till now," Abdul Latheef told PTI over the phone from Kollam.

"It has been more than 40 days since she died. Me and my family members, including her mother Sajitha, are crying daily as we have not got justice so far," he said.

He denied as "101 per cent fake news" media reports stating that the CCB had given a clean chit to three professors of IIT Madras against whom Fathima had made allegations in her suicide note of being responsible for her death.

"How is it possible for the media to know the details as the CCB had given its report on the progress of investigation to the court in a sealed cover," he asked.

The media reports, quoting sources, had claimed that the CCB had given a clean chit to the three IIT professors whom Fathima had named in her suicide note.

The probe team had disclosed its report to the Tamil Nadu Home Department in which it notified that there was no evidence against the professors for inciting the student to commit suicide.

The report claimed the CCB came to the conclusion of exonerating the professors after examining more than hundred people including Fathima's friends and family and IIT's staff and faculty members.

"I am highly disappointed," the father said, adding that there was absolutely no communication from the probe agency.

Originally the case was registered by the Kotturpuram police of Chennai and later transferred to the CCB. The investigation was transferred to CBI when Abdul Latheef and Sajitha, with a delegation of Kerala MPs, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on December 5 and sought justice for their daughter.

The deceased student, hailing from Kollam in Kerala, was pursuing her first year under graduation in the humanities stream (five year integrated MA programme). She reportedly committed suicide on November 9 by hanging from a ceiling fan.

Her family had found Fathima's suicide notes on her mobile phone.

Abdul Latheef had alleged in Chennai immediately after his daughter's death that he had evidence to prove that Fathima was being harassed by some professors in the department of Humanities and Social Sciences.

He wanted a fair probe as he was concerned that her phone may be tampered with.

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.)

Helplines:

AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours)

Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours)

Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours)

iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm)

Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm - 8 pm)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Fathima LatheefIIT Madras student



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Fathima Latheef suicide: No prima facie evidence against professors, say Chennai cops - The News Minute

Crime

Fathima Latheef suicide: No prima facie evidence against professors, say Chennai cops

Fathima was found dead at her hostel on November 9 and had named three professors including Sudarshan Padmanabhan for her death.

TNM Staff
Friday, December 20, 2019 - 08:45




The Central Crime Branch in Chennai that was investigating the Fathima Latheef suicide case, reportedly arrived at the conclusion that there was no evidence against the professors alleged to have instigated her to take her life. Times of India (ToI) reports that the crime branch, in a report submitted to the state Home department, maintained that there was no prima facie evidence of the three professors she named, abetting the suicide.

This conclusion was reportedly arrived at after interviewing over 100 people including the 19-year-old's friends, family and IIT staff. Despite this report however, investigation in the case will continue as the CBI had taken over the case on Saturday. This after the Tamil Nadu government cited orders from the Centre, to shift the probe to the central agency. The development came 10 days after her father, Abdul Latheef told media that Union Minister Amit Shah had assured him that the CBI will investigate the case.

Fathima was a first-year Humanities student at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras and was widely described as an intelligent and academically competent student. She was found dead at her hostel on November 9 and had named three professors including Sudarshan Padmanabhan for her death.

The order transferring the case stated that the Tamil Nadu government had decided to accept the proposal of senior officials in the state to transfer the case. The transfer was reportedly recommended based on demands from various quarters.

The Madras High court meanwhile, took this case as an opportunity to insist upon mental health awareness and aid for students studying in the institution.

A division bench of justices M Sathyanarayanan and R Hemalatha said, “It is high time that the administration of IIT makes every endeavour to give periodical psychiatric counselling to the students."

It said faculty members are also under obligation to motivate and encourage the students to perform better, and a permanent solution needs to be found as expeditiously as possible so as to prevent loss of young lives.

"It is also suggested that such psychiatric counselling should be part of the course in all educational institutions to prevent such incidents of suicide by way of instilling more confidence into the young mind," the bench added.

Chennai cops clear profs in IIT-Madras student's suicide cas .. TOI

Chennai cops clear profs in IIT-Madras student's suicide case ..

Read more at:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/72894579.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

CBI to probe IIT student Fathima suicide case - Hans India

CBI to probe IIT student Fathima suicide case 

IANS | 16 Dec 2019 1:24 AM IST HIGHLIGHTS 

The Tamil Nadu government has transferred the case of 19-year old Fathima Latheef, a student of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), to... Chennai : 

The Tamil Nadu government has transferred the case of 19-year old Fathima Latheef, a student of Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IITM), to Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the police said. 

The case transfer comes after her father Abdul Latheef had met Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi sometime back. The order transferring the case referred to the communication from the Central government requesting the Tamil Nadu government for proposal to transfer the case to CBI. 

According to the police, the transfer order was issued on Saturday, a day after the Madras High Court turned down a plea seeking CBI probe into the suicide.

 Last month, Fathima, a bright first year MA Humanities and Development Studies student, took her life by hanging from the ceiling fan of her hostel room, allegedly on the account of religious bias against her. 

Hearing a petition for a CBI probe filed by the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the court had also said that if desirous, the Tamil Nadu government can opt for such a probe.

https://www.thehansindia.com/news/national/cbi-to-probe-iit-student-fathima-suicide-case-590150

Tamil Nadu government transfers IIT-M student’s suicide case to CBI - Hindustan Times

Tamil Nadu government transfers IIT-M student’s suicide case to CBI

Fathima Latheef from Kerala’s Kozhikode had committed suicide in her hostel room in IIT-M campus on November 9. Her father Abdul Latheef had alleged that religious discrimination at the IIT-M campus had driven her to kill herself.

SOUTH Updated: Dec 16, 2019 05:00 IST

M Manikandan
Hindustan Times, Chennai

Fathima Latheef’s father had claimed that there were some notes left by his daughter on her mobile phone, though no suicide note was found from her room. (PTI File Photo )

Thirty-six days after a 19-year-old woman student of IIT-Madras committed suicide, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday referred the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) citing a communique from the Centre suggesting the transfer.

The move came after Madras High Court on Friday questioned why the state government should not transfer the case to the central agency.

Fathima Latheef from Kerala’s Kozhikode had committed suicide in her hostel room in IIT-M campus on November 9. Her father Abdul Latheef had alleged that religious discrimination at the IIT-M campus had driven her to kill herself.

He had recently met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah. After meeting Amit Shah, Latheef said the Union minister had promised to initiate a probe by CBI.

The state government’s order shifting the case from the Central Crime Branch and Crime Investigation Department (CBCID) to CBI said the decision was taken after the Tamil Nadu director general of police (DGP) JK Tripathy and Chennai City Police commissioner AK Viswanathan had given their nod for the transfer.

It also said that the Union ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions asked the state administration to furnish the proposal regarding the transfer of the case. The ministry had also sent a letter regarding the Union home ministry’s direction suggesting the transfer of the case to the CBI.

“Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit had also extended his consent to the extension of powers and jurisdiction of members of the Delhi Special Police Establishment in the whole of the state of Tamil Nadu to investigate the case…” the state government’s notification read.
Fathima Latheef’s father had claimed that there were some notes left by his daughter on her mobile phone, though no suicide note was found from her room.

He also alleged that in her notes on the phone she had accused IIT-M professor Sudharsan Padmanaban. Latheef charged Padmanaban of religious discrimination against his daughter.

‘Everything is abnormal’ at IIT Guwahati, students allege they’re being driven to suicide - The Print

‘Everything is abnormal’ at IIT Guwahati, students allege they’re being driven to suicide

IIT Guwahati students say there’s a lack of professional counselling and empathy among teachers, which is driving some to take the extreme step.

TARUN KRISHNA and KRITIKA SHARMA 

16 December, 2019 9:33 am IST


IIT-Guwahati | Photo: http://www.iitg.ac.in/
Text Size: A- A+

New Delhi: The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Guwahati, has reported 14 student deaths in the last five years, including suicides, the Ministry of Human Resource Development told Parliament on 2 December. This is the highest number of deaths in any of the 23 IITs for the given period.

The media reported that IIT Guwahati had topped the number of suicide cases, which the institute denied. However, many students told ThePrint that there are issues that have driven students to take the extreme step — such as lack of empathy from faculty members and the absence of professional counselling.

ThePrint spoke to a number of students and professors over the phone to understand the issues, and posed questions about their allegations to the institute. However, the detailed email remained unanswered until the time of publication of this report.

Professor V. Venkata Dasu, dean of student affairs at IIT-G, told ThePrint that he “did not wish to talk about the allegations”, saying a circular had already been issued disputing the numbers and clarifying that all deaths were not suicides.

The circular, sent through the general secretary of the Students’ Welfare Board, Aditya Sanwal, on 4 December, also asked students not to share any news about suicides, calling it “fake”.
“I request you all not to share the news report regarding number of suicides in IITs. The number 14 quoted for IIT Guwahati in the report includes all deaths including natural, accidental and unnatural,” the circular stated.

“Even one is a huge number when we are talking about suicides, but the message and bad name that the institute gets due to these reports is sometimes irreparable. We all agree that the issue is of grave seriousness and we need to sit together to tackle the issue, but attaching it to other issues, twisting facts and providing misleading information is obviously not helping.”

Graphic by Arindam Mukherjee | ThePrint

Also read: IIT, IIM evaded faculty reservation for years. Modi now wants to undo exclusion
‘Everything is abnormal’

Students ThePrint spoke to said the new director of IIT Guwahati, T.G. Sitharam, has not held a single townhall meeting — where the director and students exchange ideas — which has made the authorities inaccessible for them.

A Ph.D. student, on the condition of anonymity, said: “I have been on the campus for the last five years and have seen a lot… Last year, a first year student committed suicide in the first six months itself. As far as I know, her reason was personal, not academic. However, I feel that had there been good professional counselling in the institute, she could have been saved.”

Srijeeb Karmakar, another Ph.D. student, said: “Everything is abnormal with IIT Guwahati…”

Karmakar, who broke down during his conversation with this reporter, said he had tried to commit suicide.
“The institute has driven me to the brink of committing suicide. I have been given a lot of trouble by the institute, for a simple reason… I just wanted to get my research supervisor changed. When I could not get it done, I thought of sharing my problem with the faculty and senior students of IIT Guwahati, but it just went against me,” he said.

Karmakar added that he is a classical dancer, and his supervisor ridicules him because of this and thinks it is a personality disorder.
The institute does not have good facilities to deal with psychological issues that the students face, Karmakar alleged, giving the example of a Master’s student who developed a phobia that someone would stab him.

“(Name redacted) had a phobia that someone will stab him and this made him a laughing stock among the student fraternity. Students used to make fun of him because of his fears, and this made him aggressive. The institute could have helped him with proper treatment and counselling but instead they terminated him,” Karmakar alleged.

Also read: IIT fixation fades? 29% of students who cleared JEE Mains opted out of JEE Advanced in 2019

Wrote to PMO, but to no avail

Another Ph.D. student, Sunayan Deka, said he too had requested to have his supervisor changed. “I was unable to work under him because of his unprofessional behaviour. Many students had got it changed very easily. But in my case, I was asked to apologise and when I did not do it, I was terminated without hearing,” he said.

Deka approached the authorities at the institute as well as outside, including writing to the Prime Minister’s Office, but to no avail. His letter to the PMO, he said, stated that his supervisor made him share credit for his work with those who hadn’t done any, and also did not pay any heed to serious complaints of ragging.

Vikrant Singh, another student, corroborated this information. “Sunayan Deka has been jobless for a very long time and the administration will use this as a ground to terminate him,” he said, suggesting that there should be some special arrangements for students who come from deprived communities as they have to struggle a lot to survive on the campus.

Singh alleged that all the counsellors are “highly incompetent”.
Dr Brijesh Kumar Rai, a professor at the institute, concurred with the students.

“The institute needs good counsellors to help students deal with psychological issues. This is a big problem that they need to fix. There are counsellors, but they are not good. Also, I feel that the faculty members are not empathetic towards students,” Rai said.

Discussions on suicides across IITs have gained ground recently after Fathima Lateef, a student at IIT Madras, committed suicide, alleging religious discrimination by faculty members. The issue was also raised in Parliament, and the student’s father was assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah of a CBI inquiry. They also assured the family that the government will look into all recent suicide incidents in IITs and IIMs.

IIT student Fathima Latheef's suicide case referred to CBI by Tamil Nadu govt

IIT student Fathima Latheef's suicide case referred to CBI by Tamil Nadu govt

On November 8, Fathima Latheef, a 19-year-old undergraduate student of Humanities at IIT-Madras, allegedly committed suicide in her hostel room.

Shalini LoboChennai

December 15, 2019

Fathima Latheef, an undergraduate student of Humanities at IIT-Madras allegedly committed suicide in her hostel room on November 8. (File photo)

HIGHLIGHTS

On November 8, 19-year-old Fathima Latheef committed suicide in her hostel room

Fathima Latheef was an undergraduate student of Humanities at IIT-Madras

Tamil Nadu government has referred the suicide case to CBI

Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT Madras) student Fathima Latheef's suicide case has been referred to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the Tamil Nadu government.

The State has referred the case to CBI after Fathima's family insisted that the case should be transferred to the CBI.

On November 8, 19-year-old Fathima Latheef, an undergraduate student of Humanities at IIT-Madras allegedly committed suicide in her hostel room.

Preliminary police investigations suspected that the student, a native of Kerala, was depressed because of poor performance in the examinations. Police initially believed that her low marks were the reason behind taking the dire step.

However, her family claimed that her suicide note revealed she was constantly under harassment by her professor at IIT Madras and said, "it hurt her dignity". Fathima Latheef's father alleged that his daughter was subjected to religious discrimination by a faculty member.

ALSO READ | IIT Madras suicide case: In note, student blames professor for harassing her

ALSO READ | IIT-Madras suicide: Parents to meet Tamil Nadu CM today as protestors continue to demand justice for Fathima Latheef

ALSO WATCH | IIT-Madras: Students protest demanding fair probe in suicide of Fathima Lateef

Fathima Latheef’s death: Madras HC suggests transfer of probe to CBI The court made the suggestion while dismissing a plea moved by Loktantrik Janata .. - Mathrabumi

Fathima Latheef’s death: Madras HC suggests transfer of probe to CBI The court made the suggestion while dismissing a plea moved by Loktantrik Janata ..

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IIT-Madras suicide: Why did Madras HC refuse to allow CBI probe into Fathima's suicide? - Edex Live

IIT-Madras suicide: Why did Madras HC refuse to allow CBI probe into Fathima's suicide?
A bench led by Justice M Sathyanarayanan dismissed both the petitions with a direction to the IIT management to provide effective and periodical psychological counselling to the affected students

Edex Live



Fathima Latheef

A division bench of the Madras High Court has rejected pleas from the National Students Union of India (NSUI) and the Kerala-based Loktantarik Yuva Janatha Dal seeking CBI investigation into the suicide deaths of students at the Indian Institute of Technology in Madras over the last several years, including the one of Fathima Latheef on November 9.

A bench led by Justice M Sathyanarayanan dismissed both the petitions with a direction to the management of the IIT to provide effective and periodical psychological counselling to the affected students. NSUI’s petition claims five students have committed suicide in the campus since April 2018, and alleges that the management has not taken enough steps to arrest the trend.

The LYJD petition pegs the number of student suicides since 2008 at a whopping 16. They claimed there was an allegation of religious discrimination and harassment in the case of Fathima Latheef. “Despite this, no action has been initiated,” they contended. Dismissing the petitions, the bench said that it is a well settled position of law that the High Court, in exercise of its power under Article 226 of the Constitution, cannot direct the investigating agency to probe the case in accordance with its views, as the same would amount to unwarranted interference. The Court observed that it cannot issue a mandamus on the basis of mere sympathy or sentiment.

“In so far as the question of issuing a direction to CBI to conduct investigation in a case is concerned, although no inflexible guidelines can be laid down to decide whether or not such power should be exercised, but time and again it has been reiterated that such an order is not to be passed merely because a party has levelled some allegations against the local police,” the judges said.

“This extraordinary power must be exercised sparingly, cautiously and in exceptional situations where it becomes necessary to provide credibility and instil confidence in investigations or where the incident may have national and international ramifications or where such an order may be necessary for doing complete justice...Otherwise, CBI would be flooded with cases and with limited resources, may find it difficult to properly investigate even serious cases,” the bench added.

“No doubt, brilliant academic career of a young student came to an end under tragic circumstances and this Court can understand the feelings of the parents. The statistics provided by SGP disclosed that between February, 2008 and November, 2019, as many as 16 students had committed suicide, maybe on account of stress,” the judges said, while asking IIT-M to conduct periodic counselling.

IIT-Madras suicide: HC suggests government transfer probe to CBI - TOI

IIT-Madras suicide: HC suggests government transfer probe to CBI

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Campus Front demands action against IIT-M faculty over death - The Hindu

Campus Front demands action against IIT-M faculty over death

SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
CHENNAI, DECEMBER 13, 2019 00:52 IST

Traffic on Sardar Patel Road disrupted for an hour

Activists of the Campus Front of India staged a protest in front of the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras campus, demanding action against faculty

Fathima Latheef ’s suicide: Tamil Nadu women’s panel inspect ..- TNN

Fathima Latheef ’s suicide: Tamil Nadu women’s panel inspect ..

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Student suicide: State Commission for Women visits IIT Madras

Student suicide: State Commission for Women visits IIT Madras

STAFF REPORTER

CHENNAI, DECEMBER 13, 2019 11:26 IST


A view of IIT Madras | Photo Credit: M. SRINATH

Chairperson Kannegi Packianathan visited IIT-M on Thursday, to enquire into the circumstances that led to the death of Fathima Latheef last month

Tamil Nadu State Commission for Women chairperson Kannegi Packianathan visited IIT Madras on Thursday to enquire about the suicide of first-year post-graduate student Fathima Latheef last month, as well as about issues faced by students. Sources in the Commission said that the chairperson met with the registrar, dean of students, and a few faculty members who taught Fathima, and enquired about the circumstances that led to her death.

Though the chairperson and other officials from the Commission managed to interact with some students, a majority of them were not in the hostel, as they are now on vacation. The hostel room used by Fathima remained sealed by the police for their investigation.

Ms. Kannegi enquired in particular with both the administration and the students about the mechanisms in place to counsel students who are stressed. She enquired if regular follow-ups were done with students who approach staff for counselling, a senior official from the Commission said.

Sources in the Commission said that this was a preliminary visit and a follow-up visit will be done to conduct further enquiries, based on which the Commission may report its findings and recommendations.

Meanwhile, a section of students, part of the team that organised protests in the campus following Fathima’s death demanding a detailed investigation, said that they were not aware of the Commission’s visit.

“We did not receive any communication from the administration that the Commission was visiting the campus. We would have made a representation on the issues faced by us in the campus,” one of the students said.

The Commission’s Joint Director S. Revathi, members Uma Maheshwari and Juliet, were part of the team that visited the campus.

Decimation of education BusinessLine

Decimation of education

J Devika | Updated on December 12, 2019 Published on December 12, 2019

Class struggle: Students and activists demonstrate outside Mumbai University against the fee hike in Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University and the suicide of IIT-Madras student Fathima Lateef - PTI

Why the erosion of public universities — vital learning spaces that are not only accessible to the marginalised but also empower them to question the status quo — must worry us all


The unfortunate suicide of young Fathima Latheef at IIT Madras created such an uproar in Kerala that many felt it was Kerala’s Rohith Vemula moment, with its echoes of sectarianism-driven discrimination in education. Over the last few decades, young Keralite women have been migrating to Indian academic metropolises as opportunities have opened up. The admission system of Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) that awarded deprivation points, for example, allowed a substantial number of young women from Kerala’s Malappuram district to migrate for a critical and rigorous education. The positive impact of this has been evident to all of us who have been watching closely the discourse of democracy and community in Kerala — the contribution of young Muslim women empowered by a critical education and exposure has been remarkable.

The removal of the progressive admissions policy at JNU, as well as the terrible violence wreaked upon it in the past few years, took its toll. Not only did access become more difficult, JNU was also now perceived to be unsafe for Muslim students, especially women. Latheef’s death in an IIT raises another question: Are our campuses increasingly becoming sites of normalised, virulent, and rapidly spreading hatred of Muslims? Latheef held responsible for her death a professor who had allegedly discriminated against her for being Muslim. While institutional response was unforgivably slow, and even her friends were not quick enough in their responses, there were many voices decrying the perceived rampant Brahmin dominance and casteism there.

For Muslims in India today, it is a situation where they are damned if they do and damned if they don’t. Some of the more naive followers of Hindutva believe that if only the Muslim embraced without question the idea of brahminical Indian culture and society and neoliberal capitalism, they would not be bothered or undergo suffering. Hence their dismay, for example, over the bigoted protests of students at Banaras Hindu University against a Muslim professor of Sanskrit.


So one can well imagine the terror that engulfed Latheef. Growing up in a progressive family that encouraged her studies and career choices, and believing firmly that hard work and dedication would lead her towards full citizenship, she must have struggled to cope with the normalised hatred of Islam that is now almost omnipresent, like a menacing cloud of poison gas, in private and public spaces. She could also have encountered the subtle yet very real boundary-marking that teachers and students from academic metropolises do, often inadvertently — something which students from small towns find hard to bear, at least in the beginning. What exactly happened in the case must be sought out through a fair and thorough inquiry, and the guilty must be punished; however, it may be even more vital for us to seek answers to the more general questions that arise from this untimely loss.

As I try to look at her ordeal and death in the light of the changes that have swept Malayali society over the past three decades, I cannot help saying that we failed her too. In this period the widespread neoliberalisation of education fed into the general assault on citizenship by popularising the idea that the key to a successful life lay solely in acquiring skills and focusing on one’s achievements in formal education. Even reading became essentially an extracurricular activity, the benefits of which were to be reaped within formal education in the long term. This happened even when parents did not exert pressure; often peer pressure and what teachers believe is encouragement are enough to lead bright young people down this path. This trend intensified in Kerala as it became increasingly a migration-dependent society.

In other words, school education, especially among Kerala’s burgeoning middle classes, irrespective of their social moorings, produces anxious subjects, even when families are loving and supportive. Their anxieties are accentuated even more when the young person has to deal with a hostile public. The anxious subject tends to divide everything into that which may help or hinder their progress. Religious, cultural or social identities will be assessed mainly in such terms; even critical thinking is taken as an instrument for educational upward mobility. Not surprisingly, the brighter and more ambitious middle-class students who are female/Muslim/Dalit/queer are more likely to become anxious subjects, given that the exclusion of these identities is increasingly normal in India.

The cure for the anxious subject often lay in our public universities. In those spaces one learned to politicise such identities and discovered citizenship, pride and self-respect; one also learned that marks and the approbation of teachers do not exhaust the potential gains from education; one also realised that teachers can be challenged outside the classroom and that they are not infallible.

But it is precisely the cure that is being decimated right before our eyes — in JNU, Vemula’s alma mater Hyderabad Central University, and wherever students are allowed to heal themselves and become citizens. Our young people are crippled or killed, caught between the wheels of neoliberalised education and majoritarian fascist nationalism, and they are denied a cure. ‘Mother’ India, ‘Fatherland’ — indeed!



J Devika is a historian and critic based in Thiruvananthapuram


Published on December 12, 2019

Students of IIT-Bombay protest passage of CAB - Indian Express

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Students of IIT-Bombay protest passage of CAB

IIT-Bombay for Justice, under which the students came together, is a forum recently formed by the students following the suicide of IIT-Madras student Fatima Latheef. The students had also protested the passage of the NRC Bill.

Written by Abha Goradia | Mumbai | Published: December 12, 2019 3:16:11 am

The students protesting on Wednesday. Express

Students of IIT-Bombay belonging to North East Collective, Ambedkarite Students’ Collective, Charchavedi and Ambedkar Periyar Phule Study Circle came together to protest the passage of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill (CAB) in the Parliament. The students held a demonstration on the campus on Wednesday.

“CAB’s exclusionary nature is a direct threat to the secular fabric of the Indian Constitution and the idea of citizenship in India. It directly violates Article 14 and Article 15 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee equal status and protection by law irrespective of any religion. 

This will clearly rip apart the foundational secular ethos of our nation. How can a nation that proclaims itself as a secular republic treat people from different religions differently? 

CAB will be the last nail in fulfillment of the ideological project of Hindu Rashtra,” said a statement released by the students.

Members of Rashtriya Olma Council at a silent protest to oppose the Bill at Nagpada on Wednesday. (Express photo: Prashant Nadkar )

IIT-Bombay for Justice, under which the students came together, is a forum recently formed by the students following the suicide of IIT-Madras student Fatima Latheef. The students had also protested the passage of the NRC Bill. 

“When the government should be worried about rising prices, economy, budget cuts for education and health, government’s interest in resource-consuming registries that utterly disrespect public money, time and lives lost in detention camps are strongly condemnable,” said a student.

Another student told The Indian Express, “We condemn BJP’s hate and partisan politics that threatens to push the nation to a polarised abyss and murder our democratic spirit to co-exist equally with all communities, irrespective of any categories. We stand in solidarity with all the peaceful democratic struggles of the people in Northeast and other places of India in resisting the communal CAB and urge them to refrain from violence.”

 

NCP protest in Thane. 

(Express photo: Deepak Joshi)

Students of Tata Institute of Social Sciences also on Monday protested against the passage of CAB. “The Bill seeks to fundamentally alter the idea of India and Indian citizenship through inclusion and exclusion based on one’s religious identity. This explicitly communal legislative measure with a specifically anti-Muslim positioning is a step towards the Hindu nationalist vision of the ruling BJP,” said the statement released by the students. IIT-Bombay administration did not comment on the move by the students.

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81 Students Commit Suicide In Country’s Premier Institutes: Government Data

81 Students Commit Suicide In Country’s Premier Institutes: Government Data

BYNYOOZ ADMIN
DECEMBER 9, 2019
WORLD NEWSINDIA


16 students from IITs have committed suicide in the last three years.

New Delhi:

In the last three years, 81 students from the IITs, IIMs, NITs, central universities and technical colleges have committed suicide. This data was shared by Minister of Human Resource Development, Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ in the Lok Sabha while replying to the questions asked by Prataprao Patil Chikhlikar, T.R. Baalu and Abdul Khaleque.

To the question on whether the Government is aware of the fact that students are committing suicides due to mental and physical harrasment in the colleges across the country including IIT, Chennai, the HRD Minister said colleges have taken various steps for overall development of students as well as to de-stress them.

“These includes establishment of Students Wellness Centre, Guidance and Counseling unit and appointment of Student Counselors, student mentors, organizing Workshops/Seminars on Happiness/ Wellness, regular sessions on Yoga, holding induction programs, extracurricular activities including sports and cultural activities etc.,” said Mr Pokhriyal.

As per the data shared by the Minister, 16 students from IITs have committed suicide in the last three years.

The number of suicides in NITs is 12. 28 deaths have been recorded in various engineering colleges and there has been 21 suicide cases in central universities.

In another development, in response to a query asked by RTI activist Chandrashekhar Gaur on December 2, the MHRD said that between 2014 and 2019, seven students from IIT Madras, five from IIT-Kharagpur and three each from IIT-Delhi and IIT-Hyderabad committed suicide.

According to the information received from the RTI, no suicide case was reported during past five years at the IITs in Indore, Patna, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Ropar, Mandi, Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Goa and Dharwad.

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.)

Helplines:

AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours)

Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours)

Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours)

iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm)

Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm – 8 pm)

27 Students Committed Suicide Across 10 IITs In Last 5 Years: RTI - NDTV

27 Students Committed Suicide Across 10 IITs In Last 5 Years: RTI

"Super 30" founder Anand Sharma, to tackle the situation, suggested an improvement in the teacher-student ratio to ensure everyone gets proper attention.

All IndiaPress Trust of India

Updated: December 08, 2019 16:40 IST



The response to RTI revealed, 7 students committed suicide at IIT-Madras in the last 5 years

1Indore:

Twenty seven students across 10 Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) in the country have committed suicide in the last five years, reply to a Right to Information (RTI) query has revealed.

As per the data provided by the Department of Higher Education working under the Ministry of Human Resource and Development (MHRD), IIT-Madras tops the list with suicides by seven students during this period.

In the reply to a query asked by RTI activist Chandrashekhar Gaur on December 2, the MHRD said that between 2014 and 2019, seven students from IIT Madras, five from IIT-Kharagpur and three each from IIT-Delhi and IIT-Hyderabad committed suicide.

Two students each from IIT-Bombay, IIT-Guwahati and IIT-Roorkee also ended their lives during the period, it said.

During this period, one student each from Varanasi's IIT (BHU), IIT (Indian School of Mines) Dhanbad and IIT Kanpur took the extreme step.

However, no reply was given to the query which sought to know the reasons behind the IIT students' suicides.

When asked about the measures taken to prevent student suicides in the country's premier technical institutes, the reply said, "Systems are in place in IITs to enquire and take action in all complaints received from students in IIT campuses, which includes Student Grievance Cell, Disciplinary Action Committee, Counseling Centres, etc."

Meanwhile, Anand Kumar, founder of "Super 30", a Patna-based institute giving coaching to meritorious students from poor families to prepare for the IIT entrance examination, expressed concern over the suicides by the students belonging to the top technical institutes.

Talking to PTI, Mr Kumar said, "In the present situation, the nature of selection process for the IITs needs to be changed. In this process, students with innovative skills who are able to withstand different pressures of life should be given preference."

He said that the number of teachers in IITs should be in proportion to the students, so that each one gets proper attention.

He also suggested that special English classes should be started for the students who reach IITs after studying in non-English medium schools to aid them in their studies.

Currently there are 23 IITs across the country.

According to the information received from the RTI, no suicide case was reported during past five years at the IITs in Indore, Patna, Jodhpur, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar, Ropar, Mandi, Tirupati, Palakkad, Bhilai, Jammu, Goa and Dharwad.

(If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist.)

Helplines:

AASRA: 91-22-27546669 (24 hours)
Sneha Foundation: 91-44-24640050 (24 hours)
Vandrevala Foundation for Mental Health: 1860-2662-345 and 1800-2333-330 (24 hours)
iCall: 022-25521111 (Available from Monday to Saturday: 8:00am to 10:00pm)
Connecting NGO: 18002094353 (Available from 12 pm - 8 pm)

CBI to probe IIT-M student Fathima Latheef’s death December 7, 2019 - Two Circles

CBI to probe IIT-M student Fathima Latheef’s death

December 7, 2019

By Najiya O, 

TwoCircles.net

The CBI will enquire the alleged institutional murder of IIT Madras student Fathima Latheef, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday assured the same to the family of the girl.

Abdul Latheef, the father of Fathima, informed the media about the matter after the family along with some Kerala MPs met the PM. A woman officer in the rank of Inspector General would lead the enquiry, he added.

The CBI will also look into the various mysterious deaths and tortures in the higher education institutions all over the country. The centre’s assurance comes a day after the HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal stated in the Parliament that 60 students have committed suicide in the IITs and IIMs in the last five years, many of whom were students from the lower castes and minority community.

In another development, Fathima’s father Abdul Latheef raised doubts about terming the death of his daughter as suicide. He told media in Delhi that her body was found in the room with her knees on the floor. The room was in total disarray with books and papers scattered all around, which was confusing as Fathima was a very organised person. Her roommate’s belongings were not seen in the room after the death of Fathima. A student had said earlier that she had seen Fathima crying in the mess hall at night on November 8, but later she changed the statement. 

There was a birthday celebration in the hostel that night which extended till dawn. Doctors said that death took place between 4 and 5 am. The CCTV visuals of all these have been tampered with, Latheef said in a press conference held in Delhi on Thursday. He added that his daughter had written the names of three teachers and seven students who harassed her mentally.

Legal experts shed light on what the future course of action will look like in the case of Fathima. “In cases like that of Fathima or Rohit, we don’t have options other than the IPC 306 to move legally. And this section alone cannot fully speak for the various areas in these cases,” said Adv Hashir K Muhammed while talking to TwoCircles.net. “It is high time we change the old colonial laws. New issues are coming up in the country and we should have more options to bring them under the purview of the law.” As per the IPC 306, abetment of suicide can give those guilty 10 years’ imprisonment and fine, he added.

Considering the several cases of suicides and harassment in the higher educational institutions, Adv Hashir also spoke about the need to introduce new laws like the Rohith Act for the protection of minority students which should include Islamophobia as a crime.

The demand to introduce the Rohith Act to protect Dalits and other downtrodden sections in educational institutions came up after the death of Rohith Vemula in Hyderabad Central University. However, the clauses of the Act are yet to be finalized. Adv Hashir expressed his hope that the Act would have clauses against Islamophobia too. He also spoke about the irony regarding the ‘oppressed Muslim woman in the community’ having reached the secular modern educational institution but forced to end life there.

Fathima Latheef, a native of Kollam district in Kerala, was a first-year MA Humanities student at IIT Madras. The 19-year-old was found dead in her hostel room on November 9. Her family said she had to face harassment at the institution, and named three teachers who Fathima had mentioned on her mobile phone responsible for her death. The family also hinted at religious discrimination she had to face there.

The family of Fathima Latheef had also alleged that the local police was not taking the issue seriously and had behaved badly with the family. The investigation was then handed over to the Chennai City Crime Branch. While talking to TwoCircles.net earlier, Abdul Latheef said that he was satisfied with the way the investigation was going on under the Crime Branch. Earlier this week, he handed over to the Crime Branch all the records with him related to his daughter’s death, as well as her laptop and tablet.

The forensic enquiry has confirmed the authenticity of the suicide note found on Fathima Latheef’s mobile phone, which named three teachers. The police had reportedly questioned the accused professors (Sudarshan Padmanabhan, Milind Brahme and Hemachandran Kare) three times already and they have been instructed not to leave the campus.

EDUCATION

Step out of the spiral

Albert P Rayan
DECEMBER 07, 2019 11:44 IST


MORE-IN


Promoting mental health literacy among students and educators is the right step towards addressing the rising suicide rates in higher education institutions
Of late, the number of suicides in the (Indian Institute of Technology) IITs and other higher education institutions has been on the rise. This year, three IIT Hyderabad students committed suicide, and it was reported that in their suicide notes they had mentioned ‘academic pressure’ and ‘depression’ as reasons for their decision to end their lives. Four cases of suicides were reported at IIT Kharagpur, and the institute was criticised for its failure to prevent students from taking such extreme steps. Many more cases of suicides in other higher educational institutions have been reported in the recent past.

Very recently, a first-year postgraduate student of Humanities and Development Studies at IIT Madras, allegedly committed suicide. She was found hanging in her hostel room. It is said that the girl had mentioned that a professor was the cause of her death, and the case is being investigated by the Central Crime Branch. 

Hopefully, the public will come to know the real cause of her alleged suicide. Some IIT sources say that she was a bright student and therefore academic pressure could not have driven her to take her own life (if we assume that it is a suicide). Why did the meritorious student decide to commit suicide? Was she subjected to any form of mental torture or harassment? Was she not prepared to face challenges? Did she not seek help from anyone? Should the education system be blamed for the rising number of suicides in higher education institutions? Many such questions have been raised and, unfortunately, some questions remain unanswered.

The purpose of the article is not to unravel or unlock the mystery behind the death of the girl, but to analyse the causes of suicides in higher education institutions and to suggest measures to tackle the issue.


Triggers

What are the causes of climbing suicide rates among students? 

There could be so many reasons, but some common ones include unrealistic expectations of parents, peer pressure, academic stress, attitude of faculty towards students, unhealthy competition, career issues, feelings of rejection, discrimination, mental health problems such as depression and psychological distress, lack of help-seeking skills and access to professional counselling.

The myths that engineering and medicine are the top courses preferred by academically brilliant students, the best brains go to IITs and AIIMS or other top medical colleges, and all IITians get placed in top companies and are paid high salaries, make some parents nurture unrealistic dreams and push their wards to make their dreams come true.

Every year, over 10 lakh candidates prepare for IIT JEE and only around 9,500 students are admitted to the IITs. When parents push their children to achieve unrealistic goals and when the children fail to fulfil their parents’ dreams, the seed of depression is sown in their young minds. Some students are able to crack highly competitive exams, thanks to vigorous coaching, and get seats into the IITs, but are unable to cope with academic pressure. As a result, they are subjected to depression and some of them are forced to discontinue their studies.

According to the data shared by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, 2,461 students (both UG and PG) dropped out of various IITs during the past two years. We can imagine the trauma experienced by the dropouts and others who are not able to cope with academic pressure and unfriendly campus environment that pushes them into the pool of depression.

The negative attitude of some faculty members towards students is also a cause for some students’ mental stress. According to a source from an IIT, some students being labelled ‘slow-learner’, ‘not fit for IIT’, ‘not IIT stuff’, ‘good for nothing’, etc. by the faculty members affect the self-esteem of the students.

Research shows that around 20% of students in higher education institutions have mental health problems due to various factors. Students’ poor mental health can affect their studies, career and lives. What measures should be taken to deal with students who have depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, addiction, and so on? Promoting mental health literacy among educators and students is important.

Awareness

Mental Health Literacy (MHL) is not a familiar term in Indian educational institutions. Most education administrators and educators have never felt the need for promoting MHL among teachers and students. Very recently, while discussing its importance with a group of school teachers, I noticed that they did not seem to have a clear idea of what it is and the need for it. I wasn’t surprised because only a few years ago, I came to know about its significance while going through an article related to it.

MHL includes “the ability to recognise specific disorders; knowing how to seek mental health information; knowledge of risk factors and causes, of self-treatments, and of professional help available; and attitudes that promote recognition and appropriate help-seeking”.

Educational institutions should take steps to enhance the MHL of students as well as educators. This will help everyone understand their mental health and enhance their help-seeking and self-management skills. According to some research, those who have high levels of MHL seek help for mental health issues more compared to those with low levels of MHL.

Educators, teachers and others who are in constant touch with students should have MHL and know how to identify the students who struggle with depression and help them come out of it.

Those who require assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts may contact the State’s (Tamil Nadu) health helpline 104 or suicide prevention helpline of NGOs such as Sneha 044-24640050; Vandrevala Foundation 18602662345; and Roshni 040-66202000

The writer is an academic, columnist and freelance writer. rayanal@yahoo.co.uk

PM Modi, Amit Shah assure IIT student Fathima Latheef’s family of CBI probe in suicide case - The Print

PM Modi, Amit Shah assure IIT student Fathima Latheef’s family of CBI probe in suicide case

PM Modi and Amit Shah also promised Fathima's family that the government will look into other suicide incidents in IITs and IIMs.

KRITIKA SHARMA 

5 December, 2019 9:10 pm IST

Fathima Latheef | By special arrangement

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah Thursday assured the family of Fathima Latheef, a student of IIT-Madras who allegedly committed suicide last month, that a CBI investigation will be initiated into the case.

“We met the prime minister and home minister today and they assured us that a CBI inquiry will be initiated in a week. We had not asked for a CBI probe…we just told them that we were not happy with the way local police was investigating the case,” Fathima’s twin sister, Aisha, told ThePrint.

The body of Fathima, a first-year Master’s student at IIT-Madras, was found hanging from a ceiling fan in her hostel room on 9 November.

Fathima’s father, Abdul Latheef, and sister Aisha, along with 11 MPs from Tamil Nadu and Kerala, submitted a complaint to Modi and Shah saying they were not happy with the way the Chennai Police was handling the case.

The family had earlier alleged that Fathima was subjected to religious discrimination at the institute which had forced her to take the extreme step. Aisha also said that she had read some text messages on Fathima’s phone which hinted at discrimination faced by her sister.

“I saw a lot of notes on her phone which show that she was depressed for the last one-and-half months. We also suspect that there was discrimination against her by teachers and fellow students,” added Aisha.

Also read: Only 11 SC/ST teachers in 20 IIMs, staff & graduates praise govt push for faculty quota

50 suicides in 23 IITs
Modi and Shah also assured Fathima’s family that the government will look into all recent incidents of suicide across other IITs and IIMs too.

According to the latest data submitted in Parliament Monday, there have been 50 suicide cases across 23 IITs in the last five years.

Before meeting the prime minister, Fathima’s father had also approached Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to ensure a fair probe in the case.

(Edited by Myithili Hazarika)

Fee hikes, discrimination trigger unrest in varsity campuses - Outlook India

Fee hikes, discrimination trigger unrest in varsity campuses

New Delhi, Dec 5 (IANS) Universities across the country are becoming the hotbeds of unrest, discontent and disillusionment with fee hikes being a major trigger for student protests in most cases.

At a time when there is a huge slowdown in the economy, anecdotal evidence is that jobs are hard to come by. A burgeoning unemployment problem coupled with hike in fees across institutions and universities is leading to unrest and agitation has overtaken learning.

Premier institutes, IIT, JNU, AIIMS and IIMC are all seeing protests by students in the last few months in one form or the other. Teachers in Delhi University are protesting non-payment of 3-month salary and regularization of ad hoc teachers. The BHU has been in a controversy with the appointment of Feroz Khan as teacher for Sanskrit.

IIT Madras has been rocked by the suicide of a Muslim student, and there have been charges of discrimination. IIT Madras is alo facing allegations of discrimination against students and faculty from Dalit communities.

In the most recent incident, thousands of ad hoc Delhi University teachers under the aegis of DUTA gheraoed the office of Vice Chancellor of Delhi University seeking three-month unpaid salary and demanding their regularization. Such was the urgency of the matter that a meeting was held between the agitating teachers and varsity administration which started at 3 a.m. and continued for 6 hours till 9 a.m. without any resolution.

The DUTA teachers have now been given an assurance by the officials of the Human Resource Development (HRD) Ministry. The Ministry, it seems, is only putting out small fires all over the place. Last week, a high-level committee formed by the Ministry had gone to Jawaharlal Nehru University to hold talks with the students.

Though there are no protests yet in schools, there has been a fee hike by CBSE also for examinations. "The CBSE has increased examination fees of Class X and XII Board Examination 2020, on ''no profit no loss'' principle from Rs 750 to Rs 1,500 for all categories of students, including SC/ST candidates for all schools in whole of India, except for schools of Delhi government," HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal said.

On the agitations in universities, Twitter is dominated with hashtags such as feehike, jnu, aims, iimc, iit.

What started as a protest against fee hikes is metamorphosing into a war cry by the students to protect public funded education. This implies low fees, opportunities for those who cannot afford and empowerment of the deprived sections.

This has a economic and social element to the agitations where the aspirations of the students which have been fuelled by wild promises are now clashing with the prevailing realities of few jobs and low incomes with the GDP at a 6-year low of 4.5 per cent.

Some MPs of Left parties have pointed out that the Central government is following the recommendations of the Birla-Ambani committee which gave its report way back in 2000 under the then NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Critics say that without saying so, the recommendations of the panel are implemented including fee hikes, setting up of private universities, de-politicisation of campuses and asking universities to generate 25 per cent of fund requirements from internal resources.

Social media is abuzz with chatter over turbulence in various institutions. IIT Delhi Research scholars have expressed solidarity to students who are fighting against the unjustifiable fee hikes.

Netizens have commented, "The abominable fee hike in JNU and IIMC is a glaring example of how trapping students in acres of loans for higher education is the perfect way to keep them busy in this putrid cycle of debt, so that they don''t have time to even think about changing the world!!!".

The IGNOU Research Scholars'' Association also supported JNU students. "We,IGNOU Research Scholars'' Association, New Delhi, stand with #JNU students on the issue of #FeeHike".

A former student from AIIMS Bhopal tweeted, "Back in my college days i paid only 6k as my whole 5 year tuition fee plus hostel and library fee in @AIIMSBhopal. It is going to be 60 k per year soon! Education should be free."

A student of IIMC Delhi studying English language journalism tweeted, "It is the duty of the government to provide affordable education to students. (Rs) 1.65 lacs for 9 months course seriously?? It''s a public funded education institution".

A twitter user posted "#M_Tech fee is going to be increased by 900%. Almost 2 lakh per year. They think #AIIMS students are ready to pay even if their parents have to sell home or any other property".

A tweeple wrote, "#JNU is on protest, lots of students are getting affected by the fee hike all across India including #IITs, #NLU. Is this the parties have promised in their manifestos?"

--IANS