BIT Mesra Ranchi installs fans equipped with ‘anti-suicide rods’

The Birla Institute of Technology (BIT), Mesra, is replacing conventional ceiling fans with models fitted with "anti-suicide rods" in the hostels of the campus, an official said. The rods are designed in such a way that if the load or pressure on them exceeds the prescribed limit, the fan will automatically come down, which will help prevent incidents like suicides, he said.

The step has been taken in the wake of recent tragic incidents at premier technical institutions in the country. On September 19, an engineering student of BIT Mesra was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her hostel room.

Also read BIT Mesra, IIT Kharagpur sign 5-year agreement to boost research, academic collaboration

"As part of our continued focus on student well-being, BIT Mesra is installing anti-suicide fan rods across hostel rooms as a precautionary safety measure," the institute official said, who did not wish to be quoted. The fans will be installed in a phased manner in all 14 hostels on the institute's campus, starting with the first-year students' hostels.