Mumbai: Social stigma keeps troubled IIT-B students away from counselling - Mid Day

Mumbai: Social stigma keeps troubled IIT-B students away from counselling

By Shreya Bhandary |Posted 10-Nov-2015

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A recent article in Insight, the premier institute’s student newspaper, highlights that while the provided facilities need improvement, students too need to take the initiative to ask for help

The Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay (IIT-B) has stepped up its efforts on providing counseling to students suffering from depression or anxiety. IIT-B made changes to its existing counseling mechanism after observing two suicides and one suicide attempt over the last year.

Even so, the social stigma of undergoing counselling still keeps many students away from the counsellors. A recent article in Insight, the institute’s student newspaper, has highlighted that while the facilities provided by the institute need improvement, students too need to take the initiative to ask for help.

“It’s sad to see that students still don’t approach counsellors when they first start feeling depressed. The competitive atmosphere gets to most of us, especially, since we stay far away from our home. It is important to be vocal about our problems,” said Mihir Kulkarni, one of the editors of Insight.

Loopholes

The article highlights the loopholes, not only in the institute but also in the student community. The mentorship program introduced by IITs across the country — where senior students mentor freshers to help them cope with pressure — has brought about some change.

“The good thing is, that there’s more acknowledgement of stress and pressure amongst the students now, which is very important. But beyond that, we need to address this problem proactively,” added Kulkarni.

Need more counsellors
However, all this still cannot suppress the need for more counsellors on board. At present, IIT-B has two full-time and one visiting counsellor, who visits student hostels and talks to the students regularly. With close to 10,000 students on campus, the three counsellors handle quite a handful, as they meet about 7-8 students everyday.

“The number of students a counsellor sees on a daily basis can vary. But the number of students connecting with the counsellors is showing a steady increase,” said Shivani Manchanda, counselling coordinator at IIT-B. She added that with the new steps taken by the institute, more and more students are sharing their problems.

IIT-B says
While officials at the institute stated that students have not yet approached anyone demanding more counsellors, they didn’t deny the problem. “With three counsellors on board, we are reaching out to as many students as possible. We are still looking to hire more counsellors.

We are already in the process of hiring a fourth counsellor and are also taking active steps to ensure a total outreach program,” said Soumyo Mukherji, student affairs Dean at IIT-B. He added that the management is also in talks to introduce a new counselling center code to the student hostels, but it is yet to be approved.

Recent suicide/attempted suicide cases at IIT-B

June 2015: A 23-year-old MTech student, pursuing degree in Earth Sciences, tried to end his life when he was alone in his room at Hostel 5. His mates claimed that after the initial attempt to commit suicide by hanging failed, he popped some pills. He was immediately rushed to the IIT-B Hospital and later to the Hiranandani Hospital in Powai, where he finally recovered.

May 2015: Jitesh Sharma, a third-year chemical engineering student, was found dead on the terrace of one of the hostels on May 2. The 21-year-old was reportedly suffering from depression and had been undergoing counselling for over six months. His body was found around 7 pm on the terrace of Hostel 15-B. He resided in Hostel 8.

September 2014: Aniket Ambhore (22), a fourth-year student pursuing a dual degree in electrical engineering, died after falling from the sixth floor of Hostel 13. Aniket was immediately rushed to Rajawadi Hospital, Ghatkopar, where he was declared dead on arrival. It is still unclear whether it was an accident or a suicide.

The PAL system
At IIT-Gandhinagar, the institute started a Peer Assisted Learning system (PAL), three years ago. This system appoints mentors and groups that help students deal with stress and pressure. While helping freshers, the system also involves compensation for the seniors, who get paid Rs 125 per hour.

- See more at: http://www.mid-day.com/articles/mumbai-social-stigma-keeps-troubled-iit-b-students-away-from-counselling/16668181#sthash.azTy4Lkm.dpuf

Saraf seeks report on student suicides in Kota - TNN

Saraf seeks report on student suicides in Kota

TNN | Nov 5, 2015, 07.17AM IST

inShare

JAIPUR: Higher education minister Kalicharan Saraf on Wednesday sought detailed report on suicides by students this year in coaching hub Kota . The report is to be submitted by the district collector of Kota. Saraf has also asked the collector to prepare an assessment report from the ground about stress levels among the students enrolled in the coaching institutes.

"The department will study the cause of every suicide which will help us in formulating a much needed regulatory policy for coaching institutes in the state. We have asked the local administration of Kota to suggest ways to put an end to this extreme step while talking to all stakeholders," said Saraf over phone. Since May, eight students have committed suicide in Kota as they failed to cope with the pressure of clearing competitive exams like JEE-MainsAdvanced and AIPMT.

Saraf admitted that in the absence of any policy or regu latory body, state has very limited role to play in regulating coaching institutes. To expedite the process of coming up with a regulatory body, the department has sought guidelines for coaching institutes from states like Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharastra.

Sources in the department say that neither they are aware of the exact number of coaching institutes nor they have any idea about the number of students enrolled here. 

"Once the regulation will come into force, the state will ha ve its say in deciding the coaching hours, fees etc for institutes," said a government source.

Kota has over 1.25 lakh students from outside Kota enrolled in coaching centers for cracking seats in IITs and Medical colleges . The suicides have not new phenomena in Kota with four suicides recorded last year. However, this year eight has already recorded since May has highlighted the dark side of the Kota coaching industry.

Soon at All IITs, a Programme to Help Students Deal With Stress - NDTV

Soon at All IITs, a Programme to Help Students Deal With Stress

All India | Written by Rohit Bhan | Updated: November 03, 2015 00:19 IST

Besides company, the Peer Assisted Learning system also involves compensation for the seniors. In IIT Gandhinagar, they get paid Rs. 125 per hour.

GANDHINAGAR:  When he got into the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in Gandhinagar earlier this year, the tremendous pressure to succeed almost got the better of him, first year students Shubham says.

It was then that the University's Peer Assisted Learning system or PAL came to his help. The system  appoints mentors and groups that help students deal with stress and pressure.

"The first time you are in a different setup away from your family, you find yourself facing enormous pressure. That's when I got help from my senior guide. My confidence grew as I could share my limitations with him. Now I feel pretty much settled here," said Shubham.

The system was introduced at IIT Gandhinagar three years ago. Now, with incidents of students' suicides and mass failures on the rise, the Human Resource Development ministry has asked all IITs to introduce it.

"After you come here, everyone starts from a zero level. You have to focus on studies which bring in pressure. You have to give examination in English and the medium of instructions is English. So you have to deal with pressure on various fronts," says student mentor Sreenivasan.

Besides company, the system also involves compensation for the seniors. In IIT Gandhinagar, they get paid Rs.125 per hour but other IITs are free to decide their own compensation.

"We started off with six mentors and about 12 students and in the last three years we have now reached about 20 mentors assisting 42 students. More importantly the exercise has given a sense of fulfilment to the seniors," said Assistant professor Kabeer Jasuja.

Garima Chaudhary, a student, said, "When you don't have peer guide you reach a point where you can take an extreme step like suicide. But that's where a mentor's role is important. He or she can come in at that point identify the problem and check the students from taking the extreme step."

Story First Published: November 02, 2015 23:32 IST

18-Year-Old Preparing for Medical Exam Commits Suicide in Kota - NDTV

18-Year-Old Preparing for Medical Exam Commits Suicide in Kota

Others | Written by Harsha Kumari Singh | Updated: November 03, 2015 08:36 IST

The suicide rate in students has gone up by 60 per cent this year.

Kota:  In Rajasthan's Kota, nine students preparing for the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and medical exams have committed suicide in the last five months.

On Sunday morning, that number went up to 10. An 18-year-old, who was preparing for the All-India Pre Medical Test, was found dead by her hostel warden.

Anjali Anand was unable to pass the exam last year and had moved to Kota for coaching. In a letter addressed to her parents, she said it was unlikely she would be able to pass the exam even in her second attempt.

Her parents who came from Moradabad in Uttar Pradesh to collect their daughter's body were distraught. Anjali's father Ashok Kumar blamed coaching institutes for not providing proper counseling to students.

"To fulfill their dreams parents take loans, sell assets so we can do something for our children but when we lose our children like this then what can I say, all I can do is request coaching institutes to have proper psychiatric counselling," said Mr Kumar.

Despite the suicide rate, which has gone up by 60 per cent this year, the coaching centres are still to put into place a combined 24-hour helpline to counsel students.

In a meeting two months ago, coaching centers like Allen, Bansal and others had promised to get together and put in place a 24x7 helpline for stressed students, but that is yet to happen. The administration too has not moved forward in putting into place guidelines whereby coaching centers will have to provide psychiatric help 24x7.

"The administration is planning to bring out a policy and frame guidelines where by coaching institutes will get together and provide a helpline and proper trained psychiatric and medical counselling," said Kota Superintendent of Police Sawai Singh.

In the meantime, clearly the pressure is something students are finding it difficult to cope with. In the IIT exam last year, of the 14 lakh candidates who appeared for the exam only about 10,000 made it.

The medical exam is equally tough, more than five lakh candidates appear for it, only about 46,000 actually make it.

Story First Published: November 03, 2015 00:22 IST

LAN ban in IITs no longer purposeful - Pagal Guy

LAN ban in IITs no longer purposeful

31 October 2015

Manaal Bhombal

@manaal_mb

Colleges banning internet access in this age of globalisation is a rule that still baffles many heads.  Most IITs impose internet restrictions for students in their hostel rooms, a rule that was brought in place almost a decade ago. Today, this rule has lost its significance owing to the pool of alternatives for internet use like smartphones, dongles, etc. Several student protests have been suppressed and institute authorities now no longer consider them an issue of concern.

IIT Bombay was the earliest among the IITs to impose an internet ban. A misfortunate incident of campus suicide is what led to this rule. In the following years, other IITs like IIT Madras, IIT Delhi, and IIT Guwahati also followed suit. However, this rule is only restricted to the student hostels, while internet is available 24/7 in the department labs, libraries and institute buildings. The idea behind imposing such a law is more or less the same throughout IITs. In IIT Guwahati, internet is banned from 2 AM to 5 AM so as to ensure students get adequate sleep at night and it is banned through the day from 8 AM to 5PM as an incentive for students to attend lectures instead of staying in their hostel rooms. Prof Soumya Mukherjee, Student Affairs Dean, IIT Bombay says, "We cannot restrict how a student uses his personal belongings like mobile phones. From the institute's end, our efforts are towards disciplined use of time."

Students in these institutes have debated against this rule for being redundant. "We have smart phones with 4G internet and iPads with dongles. We achieve fruitful tasks even in the wee hours of the night using these tools," says Sanchit Kalra, a student at IIT D. Another student, Chaitanya Sangani, from IIT Guwahati, says, "The ban hasn't led to any increase in attendance during lectures. In fact we can still browse Facebook or Twitter during lectures through our phone from anywhere in the campus." As long as students can fulfil their internet needs through smartphones and personal internet facilities, they are not affected by the LAN ban.

While social networking is allowed during the hours internet access is available, certain other websites with inappropriate content have been permanently banned throughout the campus. Nitish Reddy, a student of IIT M, says, "There was a time when internet was only available in cyber cafes or though wired connections. Newer channels for access have now been developed in India. Certain other sites that have been banned can be accessed through our personal devices."

On the other hand, IIT Kharagpur students are still alien to the idea of a ban on internet access. "We enjoy unrestricted internet services 24/7 across the campus. I don't see what issues such a ban can resolve, since the college's network is no longer the dominant means of internet access," says Ayudh Datta, a student of IIT Kgp.

Any student or professional today will crib about the inconvenience restricted internet access causes in fast running lives. Students staying up all night for their projects or exams have to work from the discomfort of institute labs and libraries rather than the comfort of their rooms. "We usually hurry our college work or postpone it to avoid spending the night alone in the department labs," says Chaitanya.

Despite such wide disregard for the rule, IITs are still persistent about its fruitfulness. The plan to impose a ban on only LAN and not on personal internet is a huge flaw in its implementation. It is time to evaluate the purpose of this law in view of development in accessibility to internet over the years.

Alarm bells by Prankti Mehta Kadakia - Hindustan Timese paper

• 28 Oct 2015
• Hindustan Times (Mumbai)
• Pankti Mehta Kadakia pankti.mehta@hindustantimes.com

Alarm bells

CAUSE FOR CONCERN With two students suicides at IIT-Madras in the past four weeks, a look at prevention methods across Indian campuses, when peer counselling is most effective, and what institutes can do to help

‘But one day, I cracked. I bunked morning class, was crying in my room… I took a towel, tied it to the fan, tied a noose, apologized mentally to my parents and sister, and tried to hang myself…’

SHUTTERSTOCK

After dealing with two suicide cases in four weeks on the IITMadras campus, student Pankaj Joshi (name changed) wrote about his struggle with depression for the institute’s online campus magazine, The Fifth Estate, on October 20.

‘Every day was pure agony’, writes Joshi. ‘I would sit clueless, watching others answer things that seemed like alien language to me. Class after class, slot after slot, I would just sit…lost. People at my internship didn’t respond to any mail…my mind was going into overdrive – what did I want to do with my life? Was I squandering my IIT opportunity?... Which top university will accept me with an early-8-point CGPA (which was threatening to go even lower)? I pretty much hated every second of every day.’

The two suicide cases, of MTech student Nagendra Kumar Reddy on September 21, and BTech student Rahul G Prasad on October 19, have raised several questions. No official data is available on IIT suicides, but according to a blog called Suicides at IIT, run to raise awareness about the issue, 76 IITians have committed suicide since 1981 — 15 in 2014, and seven in 2015, so far.

“In the past five years, at least five students I know have chosen to end their lives — we do not know how many failed in their attempts,” says Arya Prakash, an integrated MA in English studies student at IIT-Madras. “What has gone wrong in an institution that claims to provide professional counselling services as well as peer-to-peer counselling, where the Guidance and Counselling Unit was renamed ‘Mitr’ [friend]?”

“A large problem is that students and administration both assume that the suicide victim had difficulties in dealing with academic stress or with handling a relationship. As the blame is shifted to the individual, there is little reflection on the academic structure as a whole,” adds Veena Mani, a PhD scholar in humanities and social sciences at IIT-M.

While IIT-Madras is in the spotlight currently, similar cases prevail at various other IITs, and to a lesser degree, institutes across the country.

“Even at a social sciences institute like ours, we have had a few cases of suicide,” says Amita Bhide, professor and dean of the Centre for Urban Policy and Governance, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Chembur. “Now, the stressors on students are so many — in addition to family and relationship issues, they are trying to build a career, pay off education loans, get placements that befit expectations, etc. Unfortunately, some students buckle under this pressure.”

At the IITs and in medical colleges, academic stress is a large factor for suicides, say experts.

“Suicides at institutes like the IITs and AIIMS make news, but there are cases at various other colleges that may not,” says Shobhana Mittal, attending consultant psychiatrist at the Cosmos Institute of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences (CIMBS). “This is a vulnerable time for students, when their roles and hormones are changing, along with their environment.”

“Most undergraduate BTech suicides (ages 16 to 21) are due to academic stress, the inability to cope and the shock of failure and its ramifications,” says Ram Krishnaswamy, a retired engineer and IIT-M alumnus, who runs the blog Suicides at IIT. 

“Add to this sexuality issues, relationship breakups, financial woes, drug and alcohol issues, and above all, mental health issues as depression and anxiety.”

A study published earlier this month by CIMBS says that 51.6% college students in Delhi have anxiety problems; 17.8% admitted to having suicidal thoughts; 64.6 % experienced depressive symptoms; 51.8% students felt overburdened by the academic pressures and career uncertainties.

“While this was a survey of 500 students from across Delhi’s institutes, considering that they come from all over India, it is indicative of students across the country,” says Mittal. THE ROAD AHEAD While most colleges — including the IITs — have strong counselling services, not many students willingly come forth to seek them.

“We have measures already in place — we provide counsellors, psychiatrists, even informal services from student volunteers — but the suicides still happen,” says Bhaskar Ramamurthy, director, IIT-Madras. “Students need to be forthcoming and avail of these services too. There is a stigma attached to seeking counselling.”

“We are taking several measures to try and remove this stigma,” says Soumyo Mukherji, dean of student affairs at IIT-Bombay, which saw a suicide case in May this year. “These suicides are a symptom of a larger, deeper problem, and we need to tackle the root cause of depression.”

I I T- B, Mukherji says, is working on hiring more counsellors, with different kinds of specialisations. They will also have student mentorship programmes, where a senior mentor can report a junior’s sudden fall in performance, erratic behaviour or other tell-tale signs.

“After recent suicides, the college has put in constant efforts to raise awareness about the issue. We've had stress management workshops and there has been an increase in the number of counsellors. Maybe the professors showing a little more empathy towards students could help bring a change," says Nilesh Bansod, a fourth-year mechanical engineering student at IIT-Bombay.

According to Krishnaswamy, institutes should take a serious look at measures taken in universities in the UK, US and Australia, “instead of trying to reinvent the wheel”. These include prescribing self-help books, online counselling programmes, guided meditation, and regular counselling.

“Academic pressures in the west are ruthless too, but the circumstances are different,” says Mukherji of IIT-B. “There, students can take 10 years to graduate if they want. In India, especially at the IITs, you are using government resources. It is impossible to afford students who take only one or two classes a semester and spend years on campus, when there are so many more waiting for that seat.” PEER COUNSELLING KEM Medical College in Parel has workshops for students and faculty on suicide prevention. They are taught to identify signs of depression, how to get a depressed student to talk, and so on.

“This has really worked for us — we have seen so many cases where peers report depression in other students,” adds Shubhangi Parkar, dean at the institute.

At IIT-Delhi, similarly, students are coached to bring to notice signs of depression in their peers.

“Recently, minor exams were coming up and a student disappeared,” says SK Gupta, dean of student affairs at IIT-Delhi. “His friends immediately reported this to the authorities.”

However, some students are concerned that peer counselling is not entirely effective.

“Mitr’s method involves peer-to-peer counselling, and only some cases are referred to professionals. I am doubtful about this, as firstly, untrained people — or those with little training — are dealing with deep psychological issues,” says Veena Mani, a PhD scholar in humanities and social sciences at IIT-M. “I have been told that students find it hard to trust Mitr volunteers, as most of them are moralistic in their approach, and students feel that they will tell professors about issues they think can affect their grades.”

“Frequent checks should determine whether they are being implemented effectively,” adds Prakash of IIT-M. “For instance, if the volunteers are going to be judgmental about things like relationships or alcohol, it defeats the purpose.” 

(With inputs from Damini Priya)

15-year-old IIT aspirant commits suicide in Kota - Hindustan Times

15-year-old IIT aspirant commits suicide in Kota - Hindustan Times

• HT Correspondent, Hindustan Times, New Delhi |  Updated: Oct 29, 2015 15:47 IST

More than 1,00,000 teenagers head to coaching institutes in Kota every year with the dream of cracking IIT or medical exams. (AH Zaidi/HT Photo)

A 15-year-old IIT-JEE aspirant allegedly committed suicide in Kota, police said on Wednesday, the third student to end his life in the Rajasthan city famous for its coaching institutes.

Police said that the body of Vikas Kumar Meena was found hanging in his hostel room in the Talwandi area by his grandfather who had rushed here from Bhilwara after calls to his mobile phone went unanswered since Tuesday.

SS Godara, the Kota superintendent of police, said that a three-page suicide note has been recovered from the room of the student in which he has cited domestic problems and his unwillingness to pursue engineering as the reason for suicide.

“The student has mentioned about the death of his mother in the past, about the remarriage of his father and his grandfather and father’s prodding him for pursuing engineering studies due to which he was upset,” he said.

The student, hailing from Chandadand village of Bhilwara district and studying in class 10, have joined a coaching institute last year and was preparing for IIT-JEE.

Read: Kota suicides: In this coaching hotspot, stress snuffs out lives

The father of the deceased is an armyman and posted in Manipur.

Lakhmaram, the student’s grandfather, said the boy had no study stress and was upset since the death of his mother in 2006 and also the accidental death of his cousin few years ago.

The coaching institute’s authorities said that Vikas was an average student.

Earlier this month, two other students, both pursuing coaching classes, had allegedly committed suicide in the city, underlining a growing trend which experts attribute to performance pressure on youngsters.

Every year, more than 1.5 lakh student from across the country enroll in the 40-odd coaching institutes to prepare for the highly-competitive entrance examinations for different professional coaches.

National Crime Records Bureau data show that 45 students committed suicide in Kota in 2014, a rise of more than 61 per cent from 2013, though some of the cases are also said to be due to failed affairs and other reasons.

Recently, several coaching institutes jointly launched a round-the-clock helpline to offer counselling, track callers suffering from depression and provide assistance.

Getting things right about suicides in IITs - the Hindu

October 27, 2015

Getting things right about suicides in IITs

• PRAVIMAL ABHISHEK

The Hindu

A view of IIT-Madras. Photo: M. Srinath

Innovative steps are the need of the hour, not a fault-finding outcry without any empirical backing, says the writer.

Two suicides in a month at IIT Madras is an unspeakable loss not just to the families of the deceased students but also to the society at large. As a student then, and an alumnus now, these incidents have always disturbed me a lot, and I believe that it is a cause of concern to everyone both inside and outside the institute.

I write this article in response to Arya Prakash’s ‘What has gone wrong with IIT-Madras?’ published on The Hindu Web Exclusives (23 October, 2015). I would like to express my disagreement with the author’s arguments not only on the grounds that the analysis is unsubstantiated, but also on the concern that such a misconceived approach to the problem would lead us nowhere close to the solution.

The recent suicides must be seen as a part of growing trend among all the elite institutes in the country, particularly the IITs. Various social, psychological, and systemic problems must form the context of our discussion. The author dwells upon the system of grading which needs an informed and comprehensive debate. One needs to question whether it leads to a sense of ‘relative deprivation’ despite having high intellectual quotient as Malcolm Gladwell puts it. At the same time, whether absolute grading is any better for the students in terms of ameliorating them from academic pressure and the sense of relative deprivation, needs a thorough examination. This should point us towards an imperative need of reviewing our grading system so that quick and slow learners have a fair chance to excel, and the system is not causative of erosion of confidence.

Instead of making a case for the review of grading system, the author simply puts the blame on the relative grading system as the cause of ‘a sense alienation’ among students. This is too reductionist, for loneliness and alienation are simply not a function of academic performance, they can as well stem from various psychological, social and personal problems. The author perpetuates the orthodox approach to associate every problem faced by the student to academic pressure alone. This is counter-productive to address the problem because some students experience loneliness and a sense of alienation despite having a good academic track record.

On the issue of the academic pressure faced by the backward caste students, a recent on-campus survey by Insight, IIT Bombay shows that students from SC/STs and OBCs end up experiencing more academic pressure than the general category students. Unfortunately, no study has been conducted so far to examine if there is any correlation between suicides and social backgrounds of the students. While this remains a point of concern, one should also acknowledge the efforts being made by the administration to change the situation. IIT Madras offers a basic English course, and recently a ‘Life Skills Course’ was introduced which is first-of-its-kind to enable students manage themselves better. Also, apart from class-room learning, students have access to almost all the courses on the NPTEL platform, which provides an opportunity for going through the lectures as many number of times as needed. Almost all the IITs have professional counselling services in one form or the other. Perhaps, the Professors should also be sensitised to ensure that learning experience in classroom is inclusive and responsive to needs of all students. Such innovative steps are the need of the hour, not a fault-finding outcry without any empirical backing.

The author alleges that MiTR (Guidance and Counselling Unit) of IIT Madras has been counterproductive by turning into a spy agency without any lack of respect for the principle of confidentiality. The Lead Core of MiTR with whom I’ve spoken completely refutes this allegation. Similar counselling services are offered in other IITs too, and they have made a positive impact in many students’ life. The danger of an outright and unsubstantiated allegation on such services is that it prevents the students from approaching these organisations when they are desperately in need of help. In an article titled ‘Depression - An Elephant in the Room’ of Insight, IIT Bombay, the counselling coordinator laments on the perception of a ‘stigma’ associated with seeking counsel. Allegations of these sort only compound that stigma with an added sense of fear. These counselling services must be further strengthened by inducting professional psychiatrists who can render full-time services on campus. Moreover, involving students who have recovered from depression in the counselling services would make the process more effective.

On the issue of attendance criteria, how logical is it to argue that asking a student to attend classes is putting excessive academic pressure on him or her? The attendance policy of IIT Madras is guided by the idea that being a residential institute, the potential of classroom learning experience must be fully tapped. Exemptions to this criteria are available on medical grounds, even if one falls short of 85% attendance. All that a student needs to do is to produce a medical certificate which the on-campus hospital provides. I think by saying that the “students are thrown out of campus”, the author has exaggerated the issue unnecessarily. The stringent rule of asking a student to vacate the hostel applies only when one fails to secure minimum attendance in more than two courses in a semester. Moreover, a thorough background check is done on the student before taking such a decision. Clearly, the criteria and the process tell us that the spirit of the rule is not to pressurise the students but to set a deterrent against absenteeism.

As pointed out at the outset, this phenomena of suicides in elite institutions is a great loss for both families and society. Only a correct diagnosis can help us find a correct treatment for the problem. Being residential campuses, premier institutes like IITs should ensure that the campus ecosystem has the capacity to positively shape individuals’ personal and social life without confining their focus to easing academic pressure. Neither a fault-finding exercise demanding some ‘radical change’ without any constructive solutions, nor the treatment of such cases as personal problems which have nothing to do with the administration are justified. One needs to be pro-active and constantly engage in dialogue with all the stakeholders to ensure that the most transformative phase in an individual’s life doesn’t lead to a tragic end.

The writer is a dual-degree holder in mechanical engineering from IIT-M and a founding member of the discussion group The Colloquium. He is currently preparing for his civil service exams.

This article is in response to an earlier article by an IIT-M student on the atmosphere at the campus post the suicides - What has gone wrong with IIT-Madras?

Keywords: IIT Madras, IIT suicides, Mitr, students counselling, IIT JEE, premium institutes

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26 student suicides in 3 yrs at premier institutes - Academics India .com Tribune Chandigarh

TRIBUNE SPECIAL 26 student suicides in 3 yrs at premier institutes Aditi Tandon/TNS NEW DELHI September 25 : “Why should we torture them now when we didn’t torture them 15 years ago?” KS Venkatesh, professor of electrical engineering at IIT Kanpur, quips when asked what was driving students to suicides in the premiere institutes of India. Between 2008 and 2011, IITs, IIMs and National Institutes of Technology (NITs) together reported 26 student suicides; 16 of these at IITs alone and seven at NITs. This Friday, IIT Kanpur saw the fifth suicide in the last three years; the 10th in its entire history. After scribbling a telling note - "I am tired of IIT" -- across his hostel room wall, 18-year-old Mahtab Ahmad ended his life by hanging from a ceiling fan. Venkatesh, who studied at IIT-K and now heads its faculty association, mourns the terrible reality of students succumbing to academic pressure, but attributes much of this stress to rising expectations of parents and JEE’s mechanical coaching.  The coaching trains students to crack entrance exams, but fails them when it comes to the real challenge of being an IITian which involves thinking and innovating. "I trace much of this to parents who torment their wards for not scoring the top 9 grade. Even during the counselling sessions with JEE crackers, parents ask us what their child’s starting salary would be were he to consider a particular branch. They behave like customers, asking us to show their child’s worth. Naturally, students too no longer come to us for the love of learning. They basically come to make money. It’s time parents start telling children to do as well as they can, not as well as they must," says Venkatesh. He also warns of growing depression among M Tech students who stay on for research instead of jumping into jobs after four years of graduation. Eighty per cent IIT suicides in the last three years have involved undergraduates UGs. Causes of stress vary as an IIT Delhi student explains, "The first year is tough as you are getting to absorb the system where professors naturally demand performance from you. That’s the nature of IITs. The stress of scoring is the highest in the first two years. In the final year, peer pressure is at its worst as you face the fiercely competitive campus placements. Here top scorers are major gainers; hence the pressure on low scorers." On May 2, an M Tech student from IIT Madras, Nitin Reddy, committed suicide after being asked to repeat a course in the final year. This meant losing the job he had landed. IIT Madras later concluded that Nitin was depressed, but his father approached the National Human Rights Commission for justice. UB Desai, Director of IIT Hyderabad, say the systems - such as counselling units - are in place, though more psychologists are needed. The institutes also appoint faculty advisers for freshers to help them understand the new place. But all this has not always helped. In IIT Bombay, for example, the counselling unit failed to identify regular visitor Srikant Malapulla (21) as a depressive. He later committed suicide. Alarmed by the surging cases, IIT Council recently decided to set up a taskforce of directors to study the problem which Prof Sanjay Dhande, Director, IIT Kanpur, describes as a "social scourge". He wants the media to stop glorifying the IITs and NITs as the only quality institutes. "Turn the arc lights to other unsung institutes; ease the stress on IITians," he appeals, asking parents to tame their expectations. "Students must also realise they now have more freedoms without responsibilities. There are distractions like cell phones and the internet. These issues require introspection considering changing moral values and lifestyles," he says. An IIT-K panel constituted to look into the spate of suicides had earlier suggested an end to single-room hostel occupancy system and suggested that students share the rooms. They also said ceiling fans should be replaced with pedestal fans and internet speed should be reduced to prevent unhindered web access in the institutes. The logic given was constant internet use left students too tired to concentrate on lessons. The new taskforce, directors say, will give fresh suggestions. Meanwhile, the IIT faculty admits they have been unable to attend to students the way they used to. Since 2007, the intake at all central educational institutes increased manifold following the 27 per cent mandatory OBC reservation. "At IIT-K, the student teacher ratio used to be 8:1. It is now 16:1," Venkatesh explains. In a lighter vein, he even suggests that ragging must be allowed in small, decent measures to ensure that seniors talk to juniors and inter-personal ties build. "Look at our students today. Each one is an island, each one a loner," he says. (Courtesy : The Tribune, Chandigarh)

What are the reasons to commit suicide in IIT? - Quora

What are the reasons to commit suicide in IIT?

Ankur Singh, B.Tech.(Hons) in Civil Engineering, Class of 2015, IIT Kharagpur

112 Views

The current scenario as such is at fault for the rampant suicides in IIT's. We as a hard working and laborious students toil hard for a period of 2 years and in some cases even a few years more to end up being in these prestigious institutes. Definitely nothing wrong in that as all good things to those who work hard for it. But what a student expects here is that he will have lesser worries in terms of academic load, a belief mostly populated by our teachers and closed ones which is truly not the case.

That is not the case. You are required to excel here too not only in academics but also on various other fronts. Add to it the facts that we get internet facilities like gaming,DC++ etc. it all makes our task an uphill one. So we can see what all could be the primary reasons for someone to fall back in their studies.

The major cause of suicides are attributed to academic failures and backlogs. People in IIT's get so bogged down in themselves that they hardly interact with their peers. Everyone has problems in one form or other but what makes the difference is how willing you are to discuss it with your friends or family. Talking and discussing is all it takes to find a solution to the problem no matter how big.

Add to it the age old academic curricula and policies and we have a recipe for disaster.

P.S. I may not be completely right but this is what I feel.

Written 10 May • View Upvotes

Neeraj Venkata • Request Bio

87 Views

Often the amount of hardwork they put in to get into there , is not continued by many and hence forth the pressure adds up and expectations. 

And finally they get courage to do sth special like suicide.

Written 8 May • View Upvotes • Asked to answer by Bharathesh Bm

Shivam Mishra, IIT G, batch of 2012

789 Views

Major reason is depression. The reason behind this depression is profound.

• Academic failure
• No sense of motivation
• Romantic issues
• Stress
• Comparison/Expectation from society
• DisCo on minor issues

These are few primary reasons. Each suicide in itself is a lot different. But most of them start here.

Written 8 May • View Upvotes • Asked to answer by Bharathesh Bm

Quora User, Electronics undergrad,NIT PY

94 Views

Its due to immature mind they have attended coaching for many years without living in a family and they don't know the love present in their hearts of their parents so they just fail in other things in IIT and they get depressed and restrictions to share ideas and freedom is minimum so they pass away !

Written 8 May • View Upvotes • Asked to answer by Bharathesh Bm

Rahul Singh, Indian - By Birth, By Choice

85 Views

Multiple reasons... Pressure... My friend studies at IIT Rourkee ... He says that the real thing starts after you get into IIT. Its very hectic.

Written 8 May • View Upvotes • Asked to answer by Bharathesh Bm

Why is the number of suicide cases in IIT Kanpur the highest among all IIT's or colleges? - Quora

Why is the number of suicide cases in IIT Kanpur the highest among all IIT's or colleges?

Kindly give special reference to Why only IIT Kanpur ?

3 Answers

Anonymous

1.9k Views

I am a third year UG to just give you a brief back ground about the place I view things from. ( No intention of making this answer personal). I have this habit of producing things in a little amusing manner, though I do not intend make fun of the seriousness of this situation which needs proper redress.I would like to point out a few factors here:

1. You are not the only Tony Stark with the ability to master a subject in the time constrain. Others here as well are equipped with brains sufficient enough to outrun you in sprints as well as marathons. You cant put up this solo act of astonishing everyone with your efforts, everyone here has the potential to do the same.

2. The concept of relative grading which draws lines of comparisons demotivate and frustrate you. Other judge you on your CGPA to the extent that you even start make it the scale of you potential:  which is not. Cracking written semester is an art, which either needs natural talent or mastered by brute practice which is often not present in laid back conceptually rich students.

3. Lack of Emotional Support in surrounding and life in general. A middle class family student is seen as the "aankon ka tara jo khandan ka naam raushan karega" but hardly they are able to understand that their ward is just like any other star in the sky.

4. Placement- Peer Pressure syndrome : Whatever the reason maybe low CGPA, "garib " department, unable to fill your resume with enough appealing things if you don't end up with n intern or placement with the package above the average you happiness quotient takes a dip. Its not that you cant stand your friends and acquaintances being happy, its like the sun shines for them but its burns you.

5. New of 1.3 Cr placement when people call you from home with dreams of future son/daughter "crorepati". Really we still have companies hiring interns for as low as Rs. 2500/- per month. It just hurts to slam on parental dreams when you are the one fueling it since your very bright childhood.

6.Poor Social life outside campus. We thrive and perish in a unforgiving community of most among intellectual people in the nation, but this process comes with a cost. Your life is not like Student of the Year (although you have toiled and tried to have a little comfort after JEE), if you ever feel like dumb there is no companion, you end up in your own cocoon like an alien immune to intelligence while every one is way to smart.

7.There is not 7 between 6 and 8. That just breaks you when you busted you ass to work your way above the average still end up getting what you could have got without even trying an easy 6.

8. Time passes by and the last best thing that has happened to you is that you got selected in JEE. That was the last time you felt that pang of happiness. After that things took the wrong turn right?

I will try adding on a few more reasons with time, edits are invited.

Anonymous

482 Views

Poor CPI, family expectation and placements are the factor .Even CPI system is the major problem and sometime people unable to score well due to subjective paper I though they have enough knowledge about subject and like a middle class family son what students need from IITK is a job after graduation as soon as possible but main problem in that job is CPI. And sometime family problem that affects the  concentrate on the studies .semester to semester getting bad grades create peer pressure on student and as time passes student realize that  he/she will be unable to get their goal in their future even worst thing in IITK is people are more fearful about their placement and placement office even doesn't provide the data sheets of the placement of student to understand the actual situation of placement. Why don't IITK look for every student get a job just after placements .All the students are not from richy rich family and don't hav a business to do a family business after graduation. People doesn't get internships and jobs, and the people who needs grade most doesn't get grade eve they work hard to improve but they fail each and everytime.

Written 28 Apr 2014 • View Upvotes

Anonymous

432 Views

The number of deaths occurring in IITK is higher than those occurring in any other IIT. Let us divide students in two categories - Hindi speaking and non-Hindi speaking( generally south Indians). The person who speaks hindi can generally communicate with other people( 90% of the people in any IIT understand hindi) but those who dont know hindi fac difficulties to communicate with others generally in IIT's situated in the northern part of the country. So the probability of a south Indian committing suicide is  very high.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I am clarifying in the beginning that this answer is not applicable for all south Indians

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As we can see that most ( high percentage) of them( people who commit suicide) are south Indians. As far as I know  there are many coaching institutes in AP which focus entirely on cramming. Students just cram the answers for different cases and somehow clear JEE and get into IIT. When it comes to choice filling they prefer Madras and Bombay and very small fraction of them come to Kanpur. Many south Indian students who come to IITK know only one language ( Tamil , Telugu etc) and they are not able to communicate with their wingies . So they feel isolated. Somebody has told me if any south Indian tries to learn hindi then other south Indians discourage him. They form small groups(obviously with other south Indians, and according to my observation the more intelligent south Indians do not form groups) in their halls and just roam with those people only. Now when the academic load increases they feel so much pressure. As I have mentioned above that they just cram things , so their basic concepts are not clear. As a result they perform bad in exams.

Now, their academic condition is f*****.  If you feel bad you would like to share your feelings with someone who can understand you and is performing well in studies. But there is no one because they have not interacted with their wingies initially. So they just commit suicide because of the pressure created.

p.s. I don't know about their fraction in IITD . So if somebody could give me that data then we can say something about IITD also.

Written 7 Feb 2014 • View Upvotes

Kunal Paraswani IIT Jodhpur

Kunal Paraswani IIT Jodhpur 

A 3rd Years B Tech Student Kunal Paraswani committed suicide in April 2014. This information was passed on to me by his friends. There are no reports in the Media on this suicide except for some local papers in Jodhpur that cannot be tracked on the Internet. May his Soul Rest in Peace.

Is IIT-Madras a concentration camp? - YNN

Is IIT-Madras a concentration camp?

October 24, 2015, 6:13 PM IST 

Sanjiv Shankaran in Cash Flow | India | TOI

In the wake of two suicides by students in IIT-Madras in the space of a few weeks, a student there has written an online essay describing the situation in the campus (What has gone wrong with IIT-Madras?) It is frightening

“Inside the campus it is a widely accepted fact that a majority of students are depressed,” wrote Arya Prakash.

Suicides in IITs have received wide attention. A blog (Why Are So Many IIT Madras Students Trying To Kill Themselves?) hosted by a former IIT student tracks the number of suicides every year. The trend is disturbing as things may be getting worse. Beginning 1981, the blog has tracked 68 suicides. Last year, 2014, witnessed the most in a single year.

Arya Prakash’s essay is specific to conditions at IIT-Madras. It makes for depressing reading and leads one to question the campus environment created by authorities.

One of the points raised by Arya Prakash is generic. He points out the academic system in IIT is in favour of students who have had access to top notch schooling and are fluent in English.

In a story written on IITs by Business Today in 2013, IIT-Madras’ Director, Bhaskar Ramamurthi, addressed this issue.

“We will have the problem of extremely diverse groups with language and social adjustment problems. We have to gear up to handle this – a lot of counseling, handholding in the first year,” said Ramamurthi, Director of IIT Madras.(Is Brand IIT broken?).

The effort put in by Ramamurthi’s team does not seem effective.

The problem could lie in the possibility that IIT-Madras is doing a bad job of dealing with students’ issues because they are not mentally geared to do so. A description of the campus atmosphere by Arya Prakash suggests that may be the case.

The campus has a students’ counselling centre called Mitr. Arya Prakash wrote that Mitr coordinators spy on students and fail to keep things in confidence. If that is the case, Mitr ought to be shut down.

The campus atmosphere is pathetic if students feel there is someone watching them.

There are other reasons why it is difficult to escape the conclusion that IIT-Madras resembles a concentration camp.

Araya Prakash wrote that there is hushed moral policing and relationships are seen as unhealthy.

In addition, there are peculiar rules on attendance, awful food which is compulsory and a few other inconveniences. The overarching message is depressing. It is tragic that highly motivated students are forced to survive such an unpleasant campus atmosphere.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author's own.

Comments:

Ram Chandra Gaur

Lucknow

primary reason for depression and suicide is not able to do well academically as compared to other students! this has no correlation to language facilities! the boys who were toppers and recipients of national scholarship and other accolades suddenly cannot reconcile to poor grades !they are though very intelligent have no interest in engineering! iit must facilitate their changeover to pure sciences,humanities or management !i remember, long back, iit kanpur expelled students for poor performance in first year and most of them became ias officers or did extremely well in management! minister of hrd must appoint consultant to suggest way to remove the rigidities and dysfunction of iit madras and save precious talent from withering away in such a heartless manner!

What has gone wrong with IIT-Madras? - The Hindu

October 23, 2015

What has gone wrong with IIT-Madras?

• ARYA PRAKASH

In the name of competitiveness, is the premier institution alienating one classmate from another?

IIT-Madras has lost two students in the past month. Yet, a disturbing silence prevails on campus.

I don’t intend to investigate the particular reasons that led these students to take such an extreme step. At this moment, investigating their relationship status or academic records are not relevant, but merely superficial to find a reason to close the case. In the past five years, at least five students I know have chosen to end their lives (we do not how many failed in their attempts). What has gone wrong in an institution that claims to provide professional counselling services as well as peer-to-peer counselling services, where the Guidance and Counselling Unit (GCU) was renamed ‘Mitr’(friend)?

IIT-Madras, probably like other IIT campuses in the country, is a highly competitive one. One of the terms we familiarise ourselves with in our sophomore year is “RG”. RG is a short form for relative grading, and in IIT-M parlance, it refers to anyone who tries to hinder another person from studying so that he gets a better grade. One’s victory only depends on the bad performance of another. Such an academic training only alienates one classmate from another, each living in their own cocoons. The ones who clear the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE) and enter the much-coveted IITs are the ones who started their JEE coaching as young adolescents. Who worries about the intensive coaching and pressure young minds go through when the result is a degree from the most prestigious institute in the country? 

Thanks to reservation, IIT Madras now has student representation from backward castes. But, the academic structure in the campus is not revised to suit the needs of everyone equally. The ‘privilege’ acquired through reservation ends with admission; the students are forced to compete in an environment where their worth is measured only by their academic achievements, often subjecting themselves to insults for not performing well. The class/caste backgrounds and its influence on the performance of students are never a serious concern when it comes to academic evaluation. In a way, the entire academic system on campus is exclusive to the set of students hailing from upper caste-upper class backgrounds, who had access to top-notch schooling, good coaching and excellence in English language.

Nevertheless, the hyper-competitive atmosphere in the campus affects everyone in different ways.

It comes as a shock to the ones outside this campus, but inside the campus it is a widely accepted fact that a majority of students are depressed. But, how many of us avail the services provided by the campus? 

In the latest news report by The Indian Express, the Director has refuted allegations on inefficiencies of Mitr, even after these many suicides on campus. Mitr is a centrally-funded organisation to prevent student suicides. One of the main allegations by the student community against Mitr is the highly moralistic attitude of its coordinators who often spy on students to know if they smoke, drink or are in a relationship. 

The aura of suspicion around Mitr is also because of the cemented belief that the things shared with Mitr will be held against the students, because the heads of the organisation are professors. Many ask, “if I’m depressed because of this particular professor, and the professor in Mitr is his friend, how can I talk to him about this?” 

Mitr claims to have provided its student counsellors with professional training on counselling, but we often hear complaints that the student counsellors fail to keep in confidence the things shared with them by students who availed of their services. The administration has also started paying these student coordinators for their service. However, if these services fail to earn the trust of student community, shouldn’t there be a change in thinking about the way in which Mitr functions? 

I am not talking about taking away counselling, but an urgent re-visioning is required to help students in need.

One of the stringent rules in IIT Madras is of maintaining 100 per cent attendance with an exemption of 15 per cent for medical reasons. Most of the professors are not strict about enforcing it, but if a student goes below the minimum required, he/she is dependent on the professor’s mercy. Additionally, if a student gets two or more “W” grades (a grade allotted for not maintaining 85 per cent attendance), he/she will be expelled from hostel. For the creators of this rule, what diseases did you have in mind when you decided that it will be cured within this 15 per cent you offer? 

In my own personal experience, after a grievous illness, when I had about 84-85 per cent attendance, my professor advised me, “If it’s a disease like Jaundice, you can go beyond 85. But this...” 

The poor quality of mess food (which is again compulsory, leaves students with no option but to avail mess food and nothing else) often result in students ending up in hospital due to diarrhoea, or they suffer from weight loss, fever, and low immunity, because they skip meals. 

The insensitivity of professors towards students is manifested when they trivialise the issues students face or attribute a bad performance in class to laziness. By throwing out the students from hostel for lack of attendance, the administration hopes the students will be corrected under parental care (Yes, they do expect parents to come over and stay with students outside campus). For many students who are sent here, burdened with the hopes of getting placed in a high paying company, bursting their parents’ hopes is unthinkable. Their dissatisfaction with themselves, amplified by such an apathetic situation, cannot be cured unless a serious rethinking happens.

In 2014, there was a discussion on mental health organised by an institute body called the Colloquium. Until the last minute, organisers were unsure if the debate would happen because the higher authorities did not want Colloquium to discuss an issue that is “clearly under the purview of Mitr”. 

One question was about the sexual frustration that students of age group 18-25 go through while on campus. The psychiatrist present said students do approach him on the said issue. Even though some IIT-M men’s hostels are open to women (only for academic purposes and not for “undesirable, anti-social, anti-national activities”), sex is a taboo on campus. Several times, entry to hostels has been kept under restriction citing that the authorities are answerable to parents. Relationships are seen as unhealthy and an obstruction to academic performance. Hushed moral policing in the campus is active, manifested through different ways by different people.

After the latest suicide on campus, close friends of the victim were interrogated by the police in the absence of anyone from the institution. The very next day, classes happened as usual and IIT-M worked as if nothing had gone wrong. An acknowledgment of the death came two days later. How long should we go along with this apathetic attitude? 

There needs to be a radical change in how this premier institution views students and their issues. This can be done only by letting go of moral prejudices and reaching out to students in a way that it will be reciprocated. Only a radical rethinking of the existing structure can prevent the campus from more unfortunate incidents.

The writer is studying Integrated MA in English Studies, Department of Humanities and Social Studies, IIT Madras

Keywords: IIT Madras, IIT suicides, Mitr, students counselling, IIT JEE, premium institutes

Plague of issues for engineering education in Chennai - Pagal Guy

Plague of issues for engineering education in Chennai

23 October 2015

Today, Huffington Post reported that the IIT Madras management took down an article from their student blog, 'The Fifth Estate', before putting up a heavily edited version back online. The original blog, on depression and suicides at IITs, was heavily critical of the IIT system, which seems to have been toned down in the revised version.

This isn't the first brush that IIT Madras has had, between students and management, in 2015. Back in June, the Ambedkar Periyar Study Circle, a student group primarily formed with Dalit members, was banned since someone felt that they were critical of the Narendra Modi government. After backlashes that targeted nearly everyone from the IIT Madras management onwards, to HRD Minister Smriti Irani & Modi himself, the ban was revoked with some supervision in place.

As a matter of fact, IITM isn't the only Chennai based institute that has faced backlash. Lately, Sri Sairam Engineering College, Chennai, has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. First, an image that went viral listed a set of 14 rules for female students, rules that would have put the college back in colonial times, earning them massive hatred across social media. The college decried the list as fake, but a quick glance of existing rules on their own website proved that at least two rules were true.

If that weren't enough, early this month, ex-students of the college put up a video alleging physical torture, sexual abuse, and violence by the campus director. The severity of the allegations led students to protest, which led to Anna University initiating a probe and firing the campus director. The sexist and orthodox ideas of the management, though, continue.

It is quite surprising that such issues - highhanded attitudes, colonial rules, continue to plague a metropolis like Chennai in the 21st century. While these are only two examples of how colleges in Chennai are veering towards a student-management battle, it seems they are not the only ones. Are there similar battles going in in colleges in your city? Let us know in the comments.

IIT-M Magazine Censors 'Campus Depression', Puts Out Toned Down Version - New Indian Express

IIT-M Magazine Censors 'Campus Depression', Puts Out Toned Down Version

By Jonathan Ananda

Published: 23rd October 2015 03:55 AM

CHENNAI: ‘It is always darkest before dawn’ was published anonymously on The Fifth Estate (t5e), IIT-Madras’ official in-house student journal, on October 20. Barely two hours later, it was taken down following “concerns from several quarters”.

Narrating real life experiences of a suicide survivor from the institute, the write-up describes the Institute “as a hotbed of depression.”

Written in the wake of the second suicide in four weeks at the Institute, it said that it was time for the author to open up about his own tryst with the severe debiliatating  depression at the Institute, the suicide attempt that followed and how he had conquered it.

“I am a student here at IIT Madras, one of the most reputed colleges in the country and even the world. Yet, for all the laurels the IITs have, there has been one particular problem that we’ve not been able to eliminate — student suicides,” was how it begins.

Barely two hours later, it was taken down with a note saying that “concerns had been raised from several quarters”.

Speaking to Express, Executive Editor of the magazine, Raghavi Rao Kodati, said the article was taken down at the suggestion of the faculty advisor to the journal.

“We usually run articles through our faculty guide. This was not done in this case initially. When it was published, we received a suggestion from our advisor saying this might not be the best time to run it. On second thought, we too agreed and took it down for two days. A few sentences in the article like ‘IIT is a hotbed of depression’, were felt to be a bit strong.  There were a few others which we felt needed editing,” she explained.

But, it had evoked instant response. One comment on the comments section read —“We all know what quarter that is. What message does this give to students of the institute? It was a well timed article and more of them should be out here. Why are we so hung up about not damaging the repute of the institute, instead of being hung up about not damaging the students? I am disgusted by the way everything is happening here.”

The re-published article however, did contain several edits, with a few “sensitive places” toned down. The ‘hotbed of depression’ phrase for example, has been axed in the censored version.

An email questionnaire from Express to the faculty guide had not elicited a response at the time of printing.

However, IIT-Madras’ Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi told Express that the administration had nothing to do with the taking down of the article.