‘IIT Guwahati not a graveyard’: Students boycott classes in protest against student death, demand justice

NEW DELHI: Thousands of students staged a protest on Monday against the IIT Guwahati student death demanding justice and accountability. The third-year computer science engineering student of Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati (IIT Guwahati) was found dead in the Brahmaputra hostel room. This is the second incident in a month and fourth death in IIT Guwahati this year. In this regard, the students boycotted classes today.

"We have boycotted classes today. This decision was not taken by a single student body or a department but we as a student community unanimously decided to not attend classes in view of the student death," a protesting student told Careers360.

In light of recent events, the general secretary of students welfare board has announced a two-part event - awareness rally and an open house session with director and deans of IIT Guwahati - today marking World Suicide Prevention Week.

The large section of students who gathered in front of the IIT Guwahati administrative building were seen carrying placards that read “We want IIT-G, not a graveyard”, “Our pain is real, where is the help?”, “We deserve accountability for every life” among others. They have also demanded the institute to revise the 75% mandatory attendance rule.

The body of the male student, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, has been sent for a postmortem examination. Following this, protesting students demanded the institute to take immediate action and provide necessary mental health support for the students of IIT-G.

“The deceased student was suffering from physical health issues and was disturbed mentally. He was undergoing treatment and unable to concentrate on his studies,” a student claimed. The protesters alleged that though he had submitted the required medical certificates, it was not considered and he subsequently became more depressed.

Meanwhile, the dean of students’ welfare held talks with the agitating students, and assured them that their physical and mental well-being is IIT Guwahati's top priority.

Also read ‘System let him die’: IIT Kanpur MTech student was depressed due to low grades, unemployment

Offering condolences on the death of the student, the dean said: “The well-being of students is the top priority of IITG and it is committed to providing support and resources to help students navigate the challenges they may face.”

"We encourage our student community to reach out to our support networks. IITG reaffirms its commitment to fostering a supportive and safe environment for all students," the spokesperson said. “IITG remains dedicated to prioritising the mental health and well-being of our student community during these challenging times,” he added, as per the report.

IIT-G: Second death in a month

On August 9, a MTech student was found hanging from the ceiling of her hostel room. The female student was identified as Saumya Katiyar from Uttar Pradesh and was residing in Disang Hostel. Both the family and political leaders rubbished the suicide claims. In this regard, Chandra Shekhar Aazad, the chief and co-founder of the Bhim Army, expressed his doubts and called it an “institutional murder”.

On April 12, a second-semester student of IIT-Guwahati was found dead in Dihing hotel room. In his suicide note, the student wrote “no one is responsible for his death” which eliminated foul play. However, the police informed the institute that they are continuing the investigation.

If you know someone - friend or family member - at risk of suicide, please reach out to them. Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts or tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling 9820466726 or visiting AASRA's official website or can call iCALL on 9152987821. Here are some more helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.